Speech Assisting Tech.
How to get started
Photo by Юлія Вівчарик on Unsplash
The virtual, online world has amazing resources for autistic persons. Previously, only high-functioning autistic persons could access computer technology unaided, which left the majority technologically disenfranchised. Now as desktop and mobile devices get better and better with each updated version, it is anticipated that more autistic people can get online, regardless of where they place on the spectrum.
Mobile apps made for mobile phones and tablets are great tools for learning, playing, and sharing especially where they are designed to suit the needs of people with autism. While online resources such as this one can give a caregiver the necessary pointers on which apps to download, it’s always advisable to seek guidance from social and healthcare professionals who may recommend apps that augment ongoing therapy activities.
If you’re looking for an app that will provide communication assistance to a person with autism, there is a diverse array of apps available to you. Most of these apps are designed to encourage autistic children to learn how to form words and speak them out loud. Others are crafted for non-verbal autistic people, to help them to communicate with their caregivers. Communication assistive technologies and apps, while great on their own, are more effective when combined with speech and language treatment plans.
Photo by Igor Starkov on Unsplash
That being said, when selecting a communication assistive app, it is best to pick one with lots of pictures. Some apps come with lots of pictures, others let you upload pictures from your device’s gallery while others have both. Look for an app that allows you to use your own pictures or pictures particular to the autistic person who will use the app. Also, an app that speaks out the word when the corresponding picture is touched is preferable.
It’s important to start small, with a few pictures and words in the first instance, and then build up from there. Many of these apps will let the caregiver regulate the number of pictures that appear in a particular interval. This is crucial, especially where the autistic person that you are supporting is new to using mobile devices. Many pictures and words introduced at once may cause a sensory overload for the autistic person and instigate a crisis or meltdown- which is counterproductive.
In order to integrate this new communication technique, it is important to keep the device at hand at all times and to use it frequently to an extent. The idea is not to have the app take away the autistic person’s voice, but to make it easier for them to communicate. The app should ideally be used to encourage more complex communication between the autistic person and their caregiver.
Also, where possible, the caregiver should encourage the person they are caring for to speak out the words as they hear them from the app or try as best as they can. Not only will this spur a sense of achievement, but enhance the development of personal independence and freedom of expression. As the autistic person becomes more adept at using the app, the caregiver can opt for more complex apps with additional features that make communication fun and easy.