“Established in 1991, Augmentative Communication in Practice: Scotland (ACiP:S) is a national network that links together specialist AAC services and professionals; children and adults who use AAC (and their families); statutory services and voluntary agencies; and that provides resources, information and support.”
In 2012 ACiP:S had a study day, “Using iPads in AAC” and the papers from that day can be downloaded. What’s useful is that they have many case examples of using particular apps with different people and seeing pros and cons for each individual.
A common finding was that tablet devices (compared to smaller iPod devices) were preferred for children just starting to learn language skills and those with poor dexterity as iPads have larger screens making them easier to use and read but at added expense and they are heavier to hold if no surface is available to rest the tablet on. Accessories used for making devices easier to hold for children and to provide stands for working at a desk included the Big Grips cases.
App reviews
Sally Millar of CALL Scotland has a good review of a selection of apps in her paper
Simple Photo and Video Apps to Support Communication [PDF]
List of apps used in paper case studies
Here’s a list of some of the apps that this group has documented in case studies.
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MyChoicePad By Insane Logic Ltd., £74.99
MyChoicePad on iTunes -
Proloquo2Go By AssistiveWare, £149.99
Proloquo2Go on iTunes -
Sono Flex By Tobii Technology
Sono Flex on iTunes, £69.99
Sono Flex on Android, £59.99 -
TouchChat – AAC By Silver Kite, £99.99
TouchChat on iTunes
- iCommunicate. By Grembe Inc. £34.99
iCommunicate on iTunes -
Pictello By AssistiveWare, £13.49
Pictello on iTunes - Doodle Buddy – Paint, Draw, Scribble, Sketch – It’s Addictive by Pinger Inc., FREE
Doodle Buddy on iTunes