Food and Feelings Trump Toys – See the Most Popular TapToTalk Pictures

The results are in. In the chart below, you can see the top 10 TapToTalk pictures that people are using in their TapToTalks. We were surprised that "Toys-Games" did not make the cut. But pictures in the "Electronics" category did make the list for the top pictures kids need for communicating, so we guess that tells us something about the technology and gadget world in which we are now living.

There is no surprise that "Food" is the overwhelming favorite communication need at #1 on the list. We on the TapToTalk Team often get hungry too and "food" would probably be high on our top 10 list as well. What we hear from customers almost always starts with, "The first thing my child did was ask for what he wanted to eat." That's followed by, "Then he told me how he felt." This customer feedback agrees with the data: "Food" and "Emotions" fall into the #1 and #2 spots.

We were also surprised to see "Weather" at #10 on the list. What surprised you?

For more about the TapToTalk picture library, go to http://www.taptotalk.com/pictureinfo.aspx.



If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
http://www.taptotalk.com/
blog@taptotalk.com

Special Toy Library For Special Needs Kids?

During this holiday season when there are so many people buying toys for kids, we are reminded that there are very few places that have toys customized for children with special needs. There actually is such a place that does have toys for children with special needs and the toys are FREE. Yes, free. A welcoming word in a world where toys customized for children with special needs often cost considerably more. In fact it is free because the toys are housed in a toy library at the Ohio State University Medical Center. The Center is helping parents of special needs kids find and borrow toys that are right for each child. Mary Jo Wendling, a specialist at the toy library says:

“Most of the switch-activated items aren’t available locally and because they have to be specially ordered, they’re quite costly. For example, a typical toy in a store might only cost $10 but a specialty toy, modified for special needs kids, is nearly $50. But at Ohio State’s toy library, they’re free. Just like books at a library, families here can check out toys and even specialized computers to take home and try out.”

A therapist is standing by at the toy library to help children choose not only toys that they will enjoy but toys that they will learn from. You can read the full article here: HealthNewsDigest. Do you know of any other such toy libraries? Post a comment if you do.

If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
http://www.taptotalk.com/
blog@taptotalk.com

How to Find the Best Toys for Children with Special Needs

Kennedy Krieger Institute, a Baltimore-based research, patient care and special education organization has teamed up with Parents’ Choice Foundation and selected a list of some of the best toys for children with special needs. They have also developed a set of guidelines to help parents decide what to look for when choosing those toys. Claire Green, the president of Parents’ Choice Foundation wrote the following:

“Working together, Kennedy Krieger and Parents' Choice Foundation have selected some of the best toys available for children with a variety of special needs. For example, Oball ($5.99, all ages, Rhino Toys) can help build fine and gross motor skills and, when playing with another person, also improve social skills. Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Games for the Wii and DS (starts at $34.95, all ages, Nintendo) can help develop coordination and gross motor skills. First Snaps ($17.99, 6 months, Alex Jr.) are good for improving dexterity and the ability to manipulate things with little hands.”

Elisa Mintz Delia, Kennedy Krieger's assistant clinical administrator, says parents can find plenty of affordable and therapeutic toys. They just need a resource that explains which toys or games can help their children improve their skills.

To learn more about great toys for children with special needs, check out parents-choice.org.

You can read the full article with links at USAWeekend edition.

If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
http://www.taptotalk.com/
blog@taptotalk.com

Major TapToTalk Feature Announcement

Add Text, Sounds to Pictures in Album Outliner!

Now you can add text and sounds to pictures right in Album Outliner!

Using the new "Properties" link, you can change the name, caption, description and sound of any picture in your album.

This will make it easier for you to use TapToTalk Designer's Standard Library of 2000+ pictures without leaving Album Outliner. If you want to test some new ideas, you won't need to go back and forth between Album Outliner and Picture Library anymore.

To see how this new feature works, see the new tutorial Changing Picture Properties in Album Outliner.

Share your Albums with Other TapToTalk Users

This is a great feature if you have TapToTalk Home and you are working with a Speech Therapist or other Professional with TapToTalk. You can import a MyAlbums.zip file that they published into your TapToTalk Designer and make changes at home. Or vice-versa.

Firefox "Blank Pages" Bug

Yes, we occasionally have bugs. Thank you for letting us know about them. We try to fix them in a day or two. This one affected some of our Firefox users (Mac and PC) and took a little longer to find. It is now gone. Thanks for you patience.

If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
http://www.taptotalk.com/
blog@taptotalk.com

OCALI Day 3

TapToTalk is at the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence 2009 Conference and Exposition in Columbus, Ohio. Here are some of our impressions, observations and quotes from day three of the conference as we pack up booth 424:

Today is the last day of OCALI. The energy at our booth was as strong as the first day. People kept stopping by after hearing from friends and co-workers about the "cool" communication program on the the Nintendo DS.

Four people sought out the booth without knowing the name TapToTalk because they saw the 2 second "flash" of the product in the NBC 4 news report the night before.

We have been struck by the number of moms we met who became professionals in some aspect of autism because their child is on the autism spectrum. There were many others who are involved as advocates, dedicating their time and energy to their kids and gathering information for other moms. These are true heros, who volunteer their time and abilities or changed careers to help others.

A woman from the Social Security Administration took some literature so that she could tell some of the people she visits that their are low cost AAC solutions available.

A common theme was the difficulty that schools and parents have acquiring the expensive "communication boards," and children not wanting to use them after a certain point because they make the child "look different," and their weight and size make them hard to carry around. They told us that the cool Nintendo DS and TapToTalk's price solves those problems.

The challenge of "programming" communication boards also came up often. When we showed how TapToTalk Designer makes this a snap, we got nods and smiles.

Another frequent comment was that many educators don't like the "stick figures" and graphics that are commonly used in the industry. The California State representative who spoke said that she recommends that professionals only use real photographs. The question of adding photos came up frequently. When we showed how to do that in TapToTalk Designer, we got nods and smiles.

We leave OCALI tired but gratified. It was a great experience.

If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
www.taptotalk.com
blog@taptotalk.com

OCALI Day 2

TapToTalk is at the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence 2009 Conference and Exposition in Columbus, Ohio. Here are some of our impressions, observations and quotes from day two of the conference from out vantage point in booth 424:

The official conference began today with special needs professionals from all around Ohio. There is a smattering from other states including Indiana, West Virginia, Kentucky, Arkansas and New York. The majority are from public school districts, though state agencies and many small private clinics are represented. We spoke to very dedicated, hard working people who provide a lot of support for the kids they serve. When they try TapToTalk, they name the specific kids they think it will help or the parents they will recommend it to.

The booth was busy all day, with a real crush during session breaks.

Quote of the day: “Get out of here…you did what?” TapToTalk received that reaction more times than we could keep count of from the twenty-something special needs professionals who love the idea of an AAC device on a DS.

Second most frequent quote: “You’re geniuses.” Always good to get ego strokes on a busy day.

Third most frequent quote: “My co-worker told me I had to see this.” Usually a psychologist sending a speech therapist or a speech therapist sending an administrator.

We'll be back tomorrow with our OCALI Day 3 report.

If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
http://www.taptotalk.com/
blog@taptotalk.com

OCALI Day 1

TapToTalk is at the Ohio Center for Autism and Low Incidence 2009 Conference and Exposition in Columbus, Ohio. Here are some of our impressions, observations and quotes from day one of the conference from out vantage point in booth 424:

Professionals and parents who see TapToTalk and need it are delighted. They get it quickly, ask a little bit about how it works, take our handout, and are figuring out when they are going to buy a Nintendo. Holiday time is on their minds.

Comments included:

“Brilliant!”

“I was hoping someone would do this.”

“I can’t wait to tell our speech therapist."

"I think we're going to use that DS that your brother doesn’t use anymore."

One school sent three groups of people over to see us. Then the administrator came by herself and said, "They are telling me that I HAVE to see this."

Another school came by as a group: administrator, behavioral therapist, psychologist and speech therapist. The speech therapist loved TapToTalk. The administrator said, “She decides this stuff."

Our favorite line came from a mom who walked by, looked the booth over, and said, "Hmm, TapToTalk, my kid is verbal, I don’t need that." She also got it quickly!

Every kid who gets close to our booth is drawn to our Nintendos like a bee to honey. They immediately pick one up and start "tapping and talking." No instruction necessary. But lots of smiles.

The evening also had entertainment. A special needs marching band that is going to play at half-time at the Rose Bowl. Piano players, and signers too. They were wonderful.

We'll be back tomorrow with our OCALI Day 2 report.

If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
http://www.taptotalk.com/
blog@taptotalk.com

Using American Sign Language (ASL) And Signed English (SE) Symbols With TapToTalk

Many non-verbal children who are not deaf learn American Sign Language (ASL) and/or Signed English (SE), or are taught to use ASL and/or SE pictures, or both. There is a great resource for pictures of these symbols on the Lesson Tutor web site.

These pictures are gif files that can be uploaded to TapToTalk Designer. When doing so, be sure to honor the Lesson Tutor copyright and use terms.

To upload one, first save it on your computer by right-clicking and using the menu that pops up. Then upload to TapToTalk Designer as you would any other picture file.

To access these symbols here are two Lesson Tutor links: Learn American Sign Language (ASL) and Signed English (SE) and American Sign Language (ASL) and Signed English (SE) Available Vocabulary Index.

We list this and other useful picture sources on the TapToTalk Product page.

If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
http://www.taptotalk.com/
blog@taptotalk.com

TapToTalk Teams With Widgit Symbols

One of the great features of TapToTalk Designer is that you can add your own pictures, in addition to having access to the over 2,000 pictures in our library. We've also been working with the good folks at Widgit Software to assure that you can use their pictures in TapToTalk.

Over a 25 year period, Widgit Software has developed a large database of symbols which currently stands in excess of nine thousand images spanning a forty thousand word vocabulary, specifically designed for childern with special educational needs. These can be very useful in assistive communication, and we are pleased to let you know how to use them in TapToTalk.

If you are already a Widgit Symbols customer, you can use them in TapToTalk. When doing so, be sure to honor the Widgit Symbols copyright and license terms. If you're not familiar with Widgit Symbols, you can check them out at http://www.widgit.com/symbols.

We have posted instructions for using Widgit Symbols in TapToTalk on TapToTalk.com.

If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
http://www.taptotalk.com/
blog@taptotalk.com

New TapToTalk Demo Widget

Bloggers and webmasters, now you can embed a little TapToTalk demo in a web page with one line of html! This is a great way to show people how TapToTalk works. This TapToTalk widget displays the interactive, online TapToTalk demo in a small window right on your web page!

For more information and "how to" instructions, go to www.taptotalk.com/webmasters.aspx.

If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
http://www.taptotalk.com/
blog@taptotalk.com

Alphabet And Starter Album Added To Library

We heard from some TapToTalk users that you wanted us to add the letters of the alphabet to our standard picture library. So we just did. We already had a Numbers category, and now we have letters too, in the cleverly named Alphabet category.

We've also added all the pictures and sounds used in the Starter Album. These pictures are in other categories in our library, but a number of customers told us they liked them so much they wanted us to make it easier to find them. We went wild with creativity here as well, and called the category Starter Album. We also included our newly re-recorded Starter Album sounds. No more robot-sounding voice. You can hear the new recordings in the web demo.

These changes are available to you now in TapToTalk Designer.

Of course, you can always upload your own pictures and record your own sounds in TapToTalk Designer.

If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
http://www.taptotalk.com/
blog@taptotalk.com

New Online TapToTalk Demo

We’ve just launched our new, web-based, interactive TapToTalk demo. Now you can see TapToTalk in action. This is great for previewing TapToTalk before you buy, or showing it to others.

Of course, unless you have a touch screen, you have to click the web demo pictures instead of tapping them like you would on the DS. And the web demo uses icons for controls, instead of the control buttons on the DS.

We've been getting many inquiries from people who want to see how TapToTalk works but want interaction that the videos on our web site don't provide. Well, now you can have it!

The TapToTalk web demo can be accessed from the Products page on TapToTalk.com.

Or click here to see the web demo in action.

If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
http://www.taptotalk.com/
blog@taptotalk.com

A Mom Reviews TapToTalk

Tammy Lessick is the author of the AutismLearningFelt blog. She is also the mother of an autistic son. Tammy recently put TapToTalk to a real-world test with her son, and wrote a detailed three-part review:

Part 1: TapToTalk Communication for Autistic Children
Part 2: TapToTalk and Our Reactions
Part 3: Tips for Using TapToTalk

We are delighted with the success Tammy's son has had using TapToTalk. Here is a brief quote:

Since we started using the TapToTalk, he has been independent with communication...The first time he used this was to communicate what he wanted to eat and drink for supper. The smile on his face was amazing. He answered quickly and was rewarded with what he wanted. Since then, he has used it to tell us how he feels and where he wants to go.

Tammy is an experienced, independent reviewer, and she really put TapToTalk through its paces. We provided her with a free 3-month subscription to TapToTalk Designer so she could do the review. If you are interested in finding out how TapToTalk is making effective personalized assistive communication affordable, we encourage you to read her thorough review.

If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
http://www.taptotalk.com/
blog@taptotalk.com

A Child In Charleston Asks For Oreos And Juice

For a child, asking for what he or she wants to eat is fundamental. No surprise then that this is often the first thing we hear a parent say their non-verbal child did with TapToTalk. For example, we received this email from a mom about the TapToTalk she got for her special needs son:

It's working great! We have introduced it to our child, and he can already request juice and Oreos. The word is spreading like wildfire here in Charleston about this thing! Our ABA consultant is in love with it, as are all the teachers and therapists.

We hear again and again that it is very important to present pictures of a child's favorite foods. That's why you can upload your own pictures to TapToTalk Designer if you don't find the ones you need in our library. And you can record the sounds played in a voice your child is familiar with. Make it work the way your child needs it to work.

If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
http://www.taptotalk.com/
blog@taptotalk.com

Taps, Talks, Smiles

This email from a parent made us smile:

I got my son to use TapToTalk just now to tell me he was hungry and wanted rice. I love how sensitive the DS Lite is to touch with the stylus that comes with it. My son is so timid when it comes to touching the screen and I was worried about it. He was able to touch it with the stylus and get it to respond. You should have seen the big smile on his face when he used it.

That's why we do what we do.

If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
http://www.taptotalk.com/
blog@taptotalk.com

How A Tap Dancer Found A Communication Device For Her Autistic Child

A customer recently told us this story:

She's a tap dancer and has an autistic child. One day, she opened her Facebook page. Our TapToTalk ad appeared because it is keyed to the word autism. She noticed the word TapToTalk in the ad headline and thought it might have something to do with tap dancing. She clicked through to our web site, and soon ordered TapToTalk. Now she is collaborating with her child's speech therapist to make TapToTalk "give her child a voice."

If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
http://www.taptotalk.com/
blog@taptotalk.com

Buying A Nintendo For TapToTalk

We've had a lot of questions about where to but a Nintendo for use with TapToTalk. TapToTalk software runs on the handheld Nintendo DS Lite and Nintendo DSi. The DSi is the successor to the DS Lite. It is the same size and has improved features, so it's the one to buy.

The Nintendo DS game systems are available at Target, Best Buy, Toys-R-Us, Wal-Mart, Costco and many other stores. They are also available online at Amazon, eBay and other online retailers. To find other online sources, search "buy Nintendo DSi."

Prices vary. As of this writing, they are usually well under $200.

If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
http://www.taptotalk.com/
blog@taptotalk.com

One Parent’s Perspective

Tammy Lessick has a ten year old son with autism. In her blog, AutismLearningFelt, she shares her experiences raising her son, and other related information, including product reviews. Here is what she had to say about TapToTalk on October 1, 2009:

Communication devices can be so expensive. They can also draw unwanted attention to our child. Ever wonder why they can't make a device that is reasonably priced and your child would be happy to carry around?

TapToTalk isn't a communication device, but it is the next best thing. It is a communication software program that turns a handheld Nintendo DSi or DS Lite into an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device. When you subscribe to TapToTalk, you will receive the TapToTalk Starter Kit that includes the TapToTalk game cartridge and a standard memory card to copy pictures and sounds from your computer. The subscriptions start at $99.95 for a year.

If you are in need of a communication device, check this out first. Especially if you already have a Nintendo DSi or DS Lite.

Thanks, Tammy.

If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
http://www.taptotalk.com/
blog@taptotalk.com

Our Little Winner

We exhibited TapToTalk at the Morgan Autism Center Conference at Santa Clara University Saturday. A boy about eleven years old stood about 15 feet from our booth, eyeing the TapToTalks on our table. After a few minutes, we invited him over. He shyly approached, then picked up a TapToTalk, and said with clear delight, “Nintendo DSi. I have one.”

He started “tapping and talking.” At one point he exclaimed, “I did it.” Then his dad told us that he is autistic and, though he can talk, says very little. Then his mom came over. We all watched him “tapping and talking.” After a while, he declared, “I won.”

No one had to show our little friend, our little winner, how to use TapToTalk to communicate. Actually, he showed us. And we all had tears in our eyes.

If you have a TapToTalk idea or story you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
www.taptotalk.com
blog@taptotalk.com

TapToTalk At Morgan Autism Center Conference

TapToTalk will be at the Morgan Autism Center's 8th annual autism conference at Santa Clara University on Saturday, September 26. If you're there, drop in to our booth and say hello.

If you have a TapToTalk idea you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
www.taptotalk.com
blog@taptotalk.com

A Child's Emergency Information On TapToTalk

We always want to pass along ideas others have for using TapToTalk. This one addresses the problem a non-verbal child may have if they become lost or just have a medical emergency: create an "about me" album.

One of the great features of TapToTalk is that you can have several different sets of pictures and sounds for different situations, all on the same TapToTalk. We call these albums. For example, a child may have one album for use at school and another for use at home.

An "about me" album can contain a picture that, when tapped, displays the child's address, another with emergency contact phone numbers, another with medical information, and so forth. Using the optional text descriptions that appear on the top screen of the Nintendo, you can have a lot of information displayed.

Another picture can be used to play something like "I'm lost. I don't speak. Please help me."

If you have a TapToTalk idea you'd like us to share with other TapToTalk users, please email us at blog@taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team
www.taptotalk.com
blog@taptotalk.com

Introducing TapToTalk

Through his work on the board of directors of AchieveKids, a non-profit that runs schools for the most behaviorally challenged autistic and developmentally disabled kids, Phil Bookman saw a need for a sturdy, economical, portable communications device that helps non-verbal children communicate. This led Phil to team up with tech guru Lenny Greenberg, and they started an assistive technology company, Assistyx. After a year of development, we at Assistyx have just released our first product, TapToTalk (www.taptotalk.com).

TapToTalk gives a non-verbal child a voice with the tap of a picture. It turns a handheld Nintendo DSi or DS Lite into an economical augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device.

If you know anyone who works with kids with speech problems regardless of cause--autism, developmental disability, mental retardation, Down syndrome, and many diseases--please let them know about TapToTalk. And, of course, we want to let families of these kids know about this option.

Visit www.taptotalk.com.

The TapToTalk Team