Input on current AAC Devices

[tawill]

I would greatly appreciate some input from anyone current on AAC Devices. I have Bulbar onset and already have greatly compromised speech. I was evaluated by Speech Pathologist for AAC this week and tried out the Tobii1, and the Accent 1200. They are no longer showing the Dynavox as it will not be available soon, due to buy out by another company. They mentioned the ones by FRS, but were concerned that there was not a rep close by. The literature online makes the FRS seem pretty state of the art. The Accent did not seem as accurate with my eyes as did the Tobii. I had to look above and almost to the letter above the one I wanted for it to accept the correct one. Tobii was right on. Has anyone out there used any of the FRS AAC Devices. If so, how did you like them in comparison to these other two. I am not yet Medicare, still private BCBS. Currently writing on paper and little 5x7 kindle and tablet with Speech Assistant. Haven't tried a Boogie board yet because I wasn't sure it would be any easier than the apps for small tablets. Still have use of my hands, but am worried after the concerns from Speech Pathologist when I mentioned lots more cramping and charley horses in my fingers and hands. I was just diagnosed the end of September 2014. Things are happening tooooooo fast to suit me. Eye Gaze..............................:-|

 

[swalker]

I am watching this closely, as I have similar questions.

I did bank my voice with ModelTalker and now have a Text To Speech file that I can use in a variety of systems. It sounds surprisingly like me, though without any emotion at all.

The speech therapist I met with suggested I consider an older, used Dynavox Maestro. Apparently these are pretty cost effective and accept the ModelTalker voice (The newer Dyavox does not yet). I tried a few samples that she had and both the Dynavox and Tobii systems seemed to work OK for me.

I have problems moving my eyes, so the eye tracking may be of less value to me. I can still use my hands well enough to type, though much, much slower and with far less accuracy than before.

Steve

 

[lgelb]

TA,
I'm sorry about your progression.

Seems like a step is being skipped, to move into eye gaze before alternative mousing options have been explored. SPs tend to do this, but OT/PT should be available to consider alternatives, and there are many good Web sites for AT. For example, assuming you still have head mobility, a SmartNav is an option, if you have foot mobility, a foot mouse, if you have mouth/tongue/lips, a Tetramouse is a possibility, and there are many switch options from pillow switches to twitch switches as well. Just that a lot of people never need eye gaze -- this seems more likely w/ bulbar onset -- and yet it seems more complex to use than some of the other methods...I know of a patient in our region whose eye gaze evidently stopped working, who inherited our donated Tetramouse.

Eye gaze technology is an active research area, along with BCI, so new alternatives, more likely open source, esp. in the mobile OSs, could be available by the time you lose all other mobility, if that happens. I understand if you want to use BCBS for reimbursement reasons, and order now, but depending on timing, you will be reliant on Medicare / an Advantage plan for service anyway...I am sure some Tobii/FRS users here will chime in and you should certainly rate your own experience most highly in any event. As you try these devices, bear in mind you will lose head/neck mobility later so consider the extent to which you are relying on that to reposition the cursor.

 

[tawill]

I have to agree that it seems as though some steps are being missed. I even mentioned this to the SP and she explained that the systems we were looking at were also very effective with type to speak and yet ready for the potential transition if/when needed. I may have misunderstood, but does insurance pay for only one such device in a lifetime, or something like that? None would come with features not needed, but would be added @ the appropriate time. I know none of us know how or in what area we will progress more rapidly. So many unknowns. Thanks for the replies.

 

[lgelb]

TA, Steve & all,
Yes, it's true, insurance won't buy multiple "AAC devices" like the Dynavox. Everything else I mentioned is relatively cheap and insurance wouldn't buy it anyway.

My point was, you can access TTS voices under any operating system (mobile or desktop), you can use any switch or stick that works for you, or any alternative mouse (on a computer) to access the device on which you are using TTS.

So "AAC" (really hate that term, for many reasons) is not the only game in town for quality, usable TTS any more. One might well argue that they are the game of last resort, for people who truly need or do best with eye gaze. Naturally, the mfrs (who are dwindling in number, as noted) don't like that, and in the SP community, AAC represents a significant "reason for being" and a funder for various programs. So naturally the SP is going to recommend that you go for the gusto. You don't need an SP to load an app on to your iPad, nor to select and attach a switch, nor to buy a foot mouse.

So to Steve's point, if all he is using AAC for is for typing, an iOS, Android, Mac or Windows device, does that as well or better, more flexibly and more portably. And then the "one and done" insurance purchase hasn't kicked in as yet, against the better choices that technology tends to offer us over time.

 

[Jeffreyp]

If you can still type the apps for Ipad all work well. Most are free--- we bought ProLoque for Text--about $200 but works well and lets her preprogram all kinds of questions for doctors and stuff. Ipad is light weight and can be used with external bluetooth speaker when we are around bigger crowd.

We also put free apps on phones. Speech department at U of South Florida has a great pamphlet on all the devices.

 

[igotittoo]

I can still type and found that Windows Excel program on my PC will speak what I type in the box. This is great for telephone calls. I just put phone on speaker and type. I got Predictable program but hardly use it. I prefer to write on the Boogie Board which everybody finds very cool. It also slows down the conversation when people see you writing and wait to let you "speak". My husband understands me usually but with others I don't even try to speak much. I don't like hearing myself. Is that vain?

 

[lgelb]

It is never vain to communicate by the means you prefer, insofar as your abilities permit, just as everyone else does.

 

[tawill]

I am exploring my Excel as soon as I send this note. Don't have an IPAD and I must admit that so many programs are available for Ipads and Iphones. I may borrow one and use an add on keyboard since I can still type and like the size better than the little 7-8 inch ones. I will keep tuned in for more great information. THANK YOU!

 

[affected]

MS Word will speak what you type as well and is probably easier to manage than excel.

 

[lgelb]

Assuming Win = Mac in terms of voiceover, you should be able to type into the app(s) of your choice.

Since you mention possibly borrowing an iPad and have slurred speech, I noticed a new "app for that" called AlphaTopics. It mashes up natural speech w/ topical or letter cues to what you are saying. You can find it in the app store.

 

[affected]

Word for windows has had the ability to have your text read out for many years Laurie.

Yep I'm a mac user, but I mostly work with clients on windows machines so I'm familiar with both and I remember playing with that feature of word many years ago.

Most people just aren't aware of these features because they never needed them before ...

AlphaTopics sounds interesting thanks for alerting us!

 

[MaxEidswick]

>Yep I'm a mac user

poor thing

 

[lgelb]

Thanks, Tillie, you had mentioned Word before, so I think what I meant to say was that a Win user should be able to get input from other apps read, as we Mac users would. I too have Win experience [from work] but not as much w/ voiceover.

But I think we would agree that if someone is out and about, an iOS or Android device should be considered for portability unless/until someone can only use eye gaze. When I spoke of alternative mousing for Win/Mac/Linux, I should have also noted that mouthsticks/fingersticks and such are available for mobile devices, as well as switch use.

 

[notBrad]

I've got a quick question. Is there anything free out there that will run on a simple tablet?

Reason I ask is that I'm a systems engineer who works primarily in Heath Care and program a lot or predictive text systems. There currently exist a TTS web api that will run in most browsers and it *should* be pretty easy to program a web page that would run in a browser on a tablet or even phone.

I've thought about developing something like that with the goal that it would be open source (i.e. free) for anyone to download and use.

Do you all think there would be a need for something like that or would I just be re-inventing the wheel?