![]() ![]() ![]() So glad you got a chance to try out an i-pad for Max! Boy, do I hear you about the weight and clunkiness of many of the communication devices! Acadia's is big and awkward. For all the augmentative and therapeutic options out there, the truth is, if it's not something parents are into, it's just not going to work for a family. Dave and I are excited, too, and that's key. ![]() Anytime this weekend we'd say, "Max got a new computer!" his face would light up. We let her try it out and talk with Max on it, but she still wants one of her own. "I want you go to the store and get me one!" she wailed, piteously. As his wonderful speech therapist, Jen, told me when I visited her on Friday to learn about the iPad, "Max could sit there and do 'Max' and 'Caleb' for two hours." Yup. The other challenge, which I hope is temporary, is that Max is obsessively returning again and again to the "My friends" category so he can show us his best pal at school, Caleb. You can see him in the video writhing in frustration a couple of times when the tapping doesn't work, once grabbing my hand so I'd touch the screen for him. So far, we haven't found a way to adjust the sensitivity. Also, the iPad requires a light touch and Max's is on the hard side. But he tends to hit the screen with the edge of his nail instead of the pad of his finger, and that doesn't usually do the trick. He is increasingly able to isolate one finger (his pointer, sometimes his middle finger) and tap with it. The major challenge Max has with using the iPad/Proloquo2go stems from his dexterity and fine-motor issues. In five minutes, I created a "Weekend folder" on Sunday with photos I'd copied from the Internet ("I visited Aunt Judy" "I went to a park with Daddy" "I ate chocolate ice-cream" "I found a ladybug in my house"). I sure hope the next version of the Proloquo2Go has this option. Max wasn't quite ready for it back then, but I appreciated that it had a real little boy's voice. The voice is similarly robotic, which I most definitely do not love. The Proloquo2Go is similar to the Dynavox in that things are grouped into categories you can use either symbols or pictures. It's is basically like a gigantic iPhone (but without the phone/camera). Max is also able to pick it up with both hands, more or less. He looked so cute, like he was about to head out to the office. It weighs 1.5 pounds we were able to plop it into a lightweight case and sling it around Max's neck/shoulder. Let's start off with how portable the iPad is. I certainly have no qualms that any of these augmentative communication devices will make Max less likely to verbalize his thoughts whatever we can do to enable him to express himself is A Good Thing. Also, it's not hard to program but it's not the quickest. Max uses it well at school, but we often find ourselves leaving it at home on weekends. For one, it is clunky to lug around, and he cannot pick it up. Max has had his Dynavox for almost two years now, and I am not the biggest fan. Max's school got a few iPads, and Max was chosen to trial one for six weeks. ![]() I couldn't wait to tell all of you about our experiences with the iPad and the Proloquo2Go, an alternative communication app for the iPhone, iPod touch and iPad. ![]()
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