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