iPads & speech - what are PALS using?

I just got an iPad for my birthday and am excited to get it set up, especially for speech. I've read posts from a few months ago and see that many are using Proloquo2go, but there's the new kid on the block, MyVoice. So what have you found useful? My speech declines daily. Any iPad tips welcome!
p.s. my daughter helped my DH pick it out... do you suppose that once I entirely lose my hands she might benefit :wink:? I know I'm going to rely on her to get me up to speed!

Hi there.
I posted about MyVoice as I was so excited at the possibilities it could provide. I'm not sure how it works but it would seem to be so useful for the day to day stuff out in the world. I do believe it is a free app now, maybe get your daughter to test it out for you unless you are good at that sort of thing. I know my Mom would have appreciated being handed the iPad and shown how to use it rather than sorting it out.

I would love to hear how MyVoice works for the ALS community. My speech therapist friend felt that it would be way more beneficial than to individuals with aphasia and cognitive impairment.

I am very interested to see the feedback you get or give. Good luck with your iPad in any case!

Hi..first time posting...I got an I pad 2 for my birthday a couple of weeks ago. I am using two apps that are very usefull for me. I can no longer speak but can write and type. The apps are UPD Lite and Verballly. Both are free.

And yet one more free app for the ipad- Speak It. Looks like lots of choices; no experience with them myself; maybe one format layout works better than another.?

There are some good posts on this from Richard.....do a search on Ipad.

My husband uses an IPad with Proloquo2, which in our opinion is better than Speak It. It cost $200.00 though but well worth it. He also has to use a stylus (customized it using popsicle sticks attached with a rubberband as a handle on the top. He doesn't have much use of his right hand and none in his left. Works well! We did try to get something through our OT but nothing seemed better than what we have. I will suggest MyVoice to my husband. I don't think he's tried it yet. Good luck!

Thanks for the tips, all. I heard from the MyVoice folks that it is not yet customizeable on the iPad, but they are working on it. (You get a different impression on their website!) So probably Proloquo2go is the best choice for now. Speak-it is OK for the basics, but its voice sure is annoying. I'm just trying to guess how much longer I'll be able to use my hands to see if the $200 will be worth it. I am enjoying my iPad for easy web access and reading in the meantime!

Sue

You can use a switch, when the hands loose dexterity.

We were told to invest in an I pad over the Dynavox, but my husband is losing his hand strength so I am wondering if there is an eye gaze that could be used with the Ipad?

Smartnav. RJ Cooper. google it.

Smartnav. RJ Cooper. Look it up on the net. I would give you the link, but it will go to moderator, like my previous post.

Lovebeinghiswife said:

We were told to invest in an IPad over the Dynavox, but my husband is losing his hand strength so I am wondering if there is an eye gaze that could be used with the Ipad?

Click to expand...

To my knowledge, there is no headmouse or eyegaze that will work with an iPad. The SmartNav that brooksea mentioned will work with the Mac, iMac and MacBook with the R J Cooper software, which is a $300 charge on top of the cost of the SmartNav ($300-500, depending on the model) and the cost of the Mac itself.

The most cost effective and versatile solution for a PALS needs really is a basic Windows laptop. There are plenty of free applications for basic PALS' needs and plenty of hardware to plug in as the PALS needs it. Here's JoelC's website on how he set his PC workstation up.

Apparently, rcharlton hasn't noticed this thread or he's too modest to post a link to his own post, so I'll do it for him.

https://www.alsforums.com/forum/tips-tricks-gadgets/15023-ipads-lousy-choice-pals.html

Yes, I was confused by my husband's conversation regarding this! LOL Sigh... The Mac is what he was talking about for the SmartNav, not the iPAD.