We recently heard from Catherine Whitehead, a TapToTalk Mom:
"We are in the UK and have been using TapToTalk for 6 months plus. TapToTalk has given our daughter aged 19 years the chance of being able to have a 'voice' at last. Thank you."
Catherine sent us a clip showing her daughter, Marie, proudly using her TapToTalk. Its very short and worth watching.
She also told us how she spices up Marie's TapToTalk:
"As well as the spoken word, we have also used sounds/songs from noise toys and sound books, and theme tunes from TV programmes to add variety and interest."
In TapToTalk Designer, you can record these sounds just like you would a voice. You can also upload mp3 and wav files up to 2mb in size.
Thanks for the inspiration, Catherine!
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
Monday, January 31, 2011
Monday, January 24, 2011
Join the AAC Revolution
Today's handheld devices have sparked a revolution in augmentative and alternative communication. Users now can choose from a variety of AAC solutions that are truly portable, affordable, socially acceptable and customizable. Let's look more closely at what each of these advances really means for non-verbal and partially-verbal kids.
Portable
A modern AAC device should be able to go with you wherever you go. That's why TapToTalk runs on Nintendo DS, DS Lite, DSi and DSi XL devices. It runs on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. It runs on Android devices, which come in a wide variety of sizes. And it runs on Windows or Mac PCs, laptops, tablets and netbooks. So you can choose the size and type of device that suits your needs. Or, better yet, you can run on several different devices. A child may use a DSi at home, an iPad at school, mom's iPhone in the car and a computer with a large touch screen during speech therapy sessions. They can all run the same TapToTalk AAC content (and for no extra charge). That's true portability.
Affordable
Many of the devices TapToTalk runs on are extremely economical, and many users already have them. A subscription to TapToTalk Designer costs only about a quarter a day. So AAC is no longer a multi-thousand dollar decision. And, since you can move your TapToTalk from device to device, you can change devices over time as your child grows up and as the technology improves.
Socially Acceptable
Kids are kids, and they do not want to lug around an AAC device that their friends make fun of. TapToTalk runs on a wide variety of popular devices that kids agree are cool. And you can change devices as your child grows up, so they are always using a device that is socially acceptable. So you won't ever face the shelfware problem with TapToTalk (shelfware is what some call the AAC devices that sit on a shelf because kids don't want to lug then around).
Customizable
AAC content needs to met the needs of your child today, and be easily updated to meet his or her needs as they change in the future. TapToTalk Designer lets you individualize AAC albums to meet your child's individual needs, and change them as your child grows. You can chose from our library of of over 2,500 pictures, and add your own photos and pictures from other sources. You record the sounds, so you control the language, vocabulary, sentence structure and accent. You can make an album as simple or complex as you want, with one to twelve pictures on a screen. And each picture can lead to another screen, and so on.
TapToTalk is a recognized leader in the AAC revolution, and we are committed to continuing to lead the way.
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
Portable
A modern AAC device should be able to go with you wherever you go. That's why TapToTalk runs on Nintendo DS, DS Lite, DSi and DSi XL devices. It runs on iPhone, iPad and iPod touch. It runs on Android devices, which come in a wide variety of sizes. And it runs on Windows or Mac PCs, laptops, tablets and netbooks. So you can choose the size and type of device that suits your needs. Or, better yet, you can run on several different devices. A child may use a DSi at home, an iPad at school, mom's iPhone in the car and a computer with a large touch screen during speech therapy sessions. They can all run the same TapToTalk AAC content (and for no extra charge). That's true portability.
Affordable
Many of the devices TapToTalk runs on are extremely economical, and many users already have them. A subscription to TapToTalk Designer costs only about a quarter a day. So AAC is no longer a multi-thousand dollar decision. And, since you can move your TapToTalk from device to device, you can change devices over time as your child grows up and as the technology improves.
Socially Acceptable
Kids are kids, and they do not want to lug around an AAC device that their friends make fun of. TapToTalk runs on a wide variety of popular devices that kids agree are cool. And you can change devices as your child grows up, so they are always using a device that is socially acceptable. So you won't ever face the shelfware problem with TapToTalk (shelfware is what some call the AAC devices that sit on a shelf because kids don't want to lug then around).
Customizable
AAC content needs to met the needs of your child today, and be easily updated to meet his or her needs as they change in the future. TapToTalk Designer lets you individualize AAC albums to meet your child's individual needs, and change them as your child grows. You can chose from our library of of over 2,500 pictures, and add your own photos and pictures from other sources. You record the sounds, so you control the language, vocabulary, sentence structure and accent. You can make an album as simple or complex as you want, with one to twelve pictures on a screen. And each picture can lead to another screen, and so on.
TapToTalk is a recognized leader in the AAC revolution, and we are committed to continuing to lead the way.
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
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
TapToTalk AAC for Dravet Syndrome
Children with Dravet syndrome have severe epileptic seizures that begin in infancy and are resistant to treatment. They often exhibit characteristics of children on the autism spectrum, including developmental delays. Expressive language problems problems are common.
Children with Dravet syndrome have the same need (and right) to communicate as do all other kids. We have heard from many parents of children with Dravet syndrome that they have had great success using TapToTalk as their AAC solution. Most tell us TapToTalk was recommended by other parents. TapToTalk provides portable, customizable, socially acceptable and affordable AAC for children with expressive language problems. We are proud to be able to help them help their kids communicate.
Here are some resources for families dealing with Dravet syndrome:
US: IDEA League
UK: IDEA League UK
Australia: Dravet Syndrome Support AUSTRALIA
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
Children with Dravet syndrome have the same need (and right) to communicate as do all other kids. We have heard from many parents of children with Dravet syndrome that they have had great success using TapToTalk as their AAC solution. Most tell us TapToTalk was recommended by other parents. TapToTalk provides portable, customizable, socially acceptable and affordable AAC for children with expressive language problems. We are proud to be able to help them help their kids communicate.
Here are some resources for families dealing with Dravet syndrome:
US: IDEA League
UK: IDEA League UK
Australia: Dravet Syndrome Support AUSTRALIA
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
Wednesday, January 5, 2011
Anything on the Screen can be used in TapToTalk Designer!
If you have something on your computer screen, you can capture it and use it in TapToTalk Designer! It does not matter where it came from or what format it is in.
This magic is done by doing a screen capture of a section of the screen and saving what you capture as a jpg or png file (the kinds Designer loves).
In Windows, you do this with the Windows Snipping Tool, a free program that comes with Windows 7 and Windows Vista (and you can download it for Windows XP). There is a similar program on the Mac called Grab.
Here is a Microsoft tutorial.
Here are a few tips:
1. Make the screen section you capture square, because square pictures work best in TapToTalk.
2. Save the image as a jpg or png file and remember where you save it.
3. Then upload it into Designer as you would any picture or image.
You can use this to capture part of a picture and to convert images in file formats Designer does not accept.
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
This magic is done by doing a screen capture of a section of the screen and saving what you capture as a jpg or png file (the kinds Designer loves).
In Windows, you do this with the Windows Snipping Tool, a free program that comes with Windows 7 and Windows Vista (and you can download it for Windows XP). There is a similar program on the Mac called Grab.
Here is a Microsoft tutorial.
Here are a few tips:
1. Make the screen section you capture square, because square pictures work best in TapToTalk.
2. Save the image as a jpg or png file and remember where you save it.
3. Then upload it into Designer as you would any picture or image.
You can use this to capture part of a picture and to convert images in file formats Designer does not accept.
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
Monday, January 3, 2011
What is Your New Year's Goal for Your Child's Communication?
The New Year is a time when many think about goals for the upcoming year. So we though it might be a good time for you to think about what goal you might have for your child's communication.
First, we have a happy ending to share. A TapToTalk Mom recently wrote us that she would not be renewing her subscription because, "My son has no further use for this way of communication as he now is quite verbal and talks non-stop!"
We were all thrilled to hear this, and there were certainly a few damp eyes here among the TapToTalk team. We love to hear your stories and your successes are why we do what we do.
Success and goals are very much related. We succeed when we meet a goal. And certainly a non-verbal or partially verbal child who now "talks non-stop" is a success story. But so are these quotes from parents of kids who use TapToTalk:
"My daughter with autism is almost eight years old and is nonverbal. She lights up with a big smile when she pushes a picture and hears the voice request something;"
"My son used it at school starting last year. He was 4 then. He has no trouble using it and only needs occasional cueing to attempt speech attempts while using it. Otherwise he is completely independant with it."
"This is a dream come true! I am a mother of a 9-year-old boy who has ASD. He has some speech but is not that great communicating. This is going to help him so much and it won't even point him out as different because it's a game machine that every child has. Thanks so much from the bottom of my heart for finally making my child feel average!"
"With the TapToTalk, he is now communicating independently."
So how do you set communication goals for your child? Or do you do it at all?
Many times what we hear from parents is a goal that can be stated as, "I hope my child keeps communicating better and better." We call this the "forward progress" goal. In this case, success comes when the child keeps making forward progress in communication, with no particular end goal. Just keep communicating better and better.
We don't mean to imply that you should have low expectations. Quite the contrary. But we think it is important for all of us to appreciate all of the forms success can take. Our goal at TapToTalk is to help kids with speech difficulties reach their full potential. But each child's full potential is different, and each child will take his or her own path forward in communicating. To us, each step forward is a success.
So let's celebrate all of our children's successes!
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
First, we have a happy ending to share. A TapToTalk Mom recently wrote us that she would not be renewing her subscription because, "My son has no further use for this way of communication as he now is quite verbal and talks non-stop!"
We were all thrilled to hear this, and there were certainly a few damp eyes here among the TapToTalk team. We love to hear your stories and your successes are why we do what we do.
Success and goals are very much related. We succeed when we meet a goal. And certainly a non-verbal or partially verbal child who now "talks non-stop" is a success story. But so are these quotes from parents of kids who use TapToTalk:
"My daughter with autism is almost eight years old and is nonverbal. She lights up with a big smile when she pushes a picture and hears the voice request something;"
"My son used it at school starting last year. He was 4 then. He has no trouble using it and only needs occasional cueing to attempt speech attempts while using it. Otherwise he is completely independant with it."
"This is a dream come true! I am a mother of a 9-year-old boy who has ASD. He has some speech but is not that great communicating. This is going to help him so much and it won't even point him out as different because it's a game machine that every child has. Thanks so much from the bottom of my heart for finally making my child feel average!"
"With the TapToTalk, he is now communicating independently."
So how do you set communication goals for your child? Or do you do it at all?
Many times what we hear from parents is a goal that can be stated as, "I hope my child keeps communicating better and better." We call this the "forward progress" goal. In this case, success comes when the child keeps making forward progress in communication, with no particular end goal. Just keep communicating better and better.
We don't mean to imply that you should have low expectations. Quite the contrary. But we think it is important for all of us to appreciate all of the forms success can take. Our goal at TapToTalk is to help kids with speech difficulties reach their full potential. But each child's full potential is different, and each child will take his or her own path forward in communicating. To us, each step forward is a success.
So let's celebrate all of our children's successes!
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
Saturday, January 1, 2011
Happy New Year 2011
From all of us at TapToTalk,
we wish you and yours
a happy, healthy 2011.
we wish you and yours
a happy, healthy 2011.
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
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