DAY TWO - PART 1

youtube video entitled "The Conversation: iPad Gives Voice to the Autistic" (abc News)

During this class we used Proloquo2Go and set up various selection sets, pages, and home page for a particular student based on a case study. I found this to be a very relevant activity as this is something a Learning Centre would be expected to do in a school at any point in time. Barb did not give us much to go on :) which was WONDERFUL! This is exactly what would happen in the "real world". WE would have to do the research, learn the program, find out what milieus would need to be included, etc.

Our group started with setting up the home page based on the basic milieus our student would be expected to communicate with individuals. Within those environments, we created pages based on the potential activities and/or situation within it. For example, via the main page, the student could enter the "home" environment page. From here, the student could access various pages such as "cooking", "meals", "bedtime", and "activities". Within each of these selection sets, specific statements, questions, comments were placed that would be typical in that environment. The time constraint did not allow for us to fully develop our selection sets; however, as in the real world, it would be a constant work in progress that required daily tweaking to fit the needs of the student.

I really enjoyed working with Proloquo2Go and find it extremely useful for students who are non-verbal. It was very easy to use, add phrases, pictures, text, etc. I liked how it could be set up to suit the individual needs of a particular student. This does require TIME (the biggest drawback), but overall, it is a valuable AAC tool for the classroom. I liked it so much that I recommended it as a potential tool for my aunt who has been diagnosed with MSA (multiple system atrophy). This is a Parkinson-like disease that has affected her entire body, including her speech. She is able to communicate at this time; however, the degenerative nature of this disease will probably make it difficult for her to continue to do so. Because Proloquo2Go has so many ways in which it can be modified to suit each individual, she could set up her various selection sets (with or without assistance) and choose the appropriate size of cell, color, etc.