Editorial Board - Autism Health and Wellness
When the ProxTalker came on the market, we were enthused by the array of benefits that this one device had to offer. It had an exceptionally wide range of vocabulary. It facilitated sentence structure, allowing children who cannot speak and who could previously just point to objects, to organize complete and proper phrases.
The ProxTalker was also uniquely durable, as the inventor had the product thoroughly tested and even run over by a car without damage. This is an especially useful beneficial as there have been many cases in which children have been known to throw high level communications devices into pools or out of cars. This device was built to last.
Now educators are coming forward expressing the uniqueness of this easy to use, yet uniquely functional device.
Here are a few of first hand experiences that we are pleased to report:
"Students and all of the staff were all as impressed with the device as I was. I found it easy to use, easy to program and easiest to teach. I was very pleased with how durable the device is as well. One thing I especially l liked was the material that icons were affixed to. I found the material much more practical than a typical PECS (word pictures) page or one that you have to put Velcro on the page prior to affixing the pictures. I felt as though we could add more icons to your device versus a typical PECS book (because it would be very thick, bulky and difficult to maneuver).
My ultimate goal is to have two of my students purchase your device through their health insurance or our MASS Health. I feel that the ability to have the voice output component can increase their independence across all settings.
- Janet Terranova M.S.CCC-SLP, Speech-Language Pathologist, Brown Elementary School; Massachusetts
“Parents took the device home each night and over the weekends. [It was] easy for them to reprogram the voice on different pictures to make it more meaningful for their child.”
- Karen Unkert, Speech pathologist at Coventry Grammar School; Coventry, CT
The Proxtalker provides the interim step often needed to move a child with Autism from communication with static picture symbols ( PECS ) to a communication system that uses a voice. The Proxtalker presents the ability to build language for exchanges much like the PECS ( Picture exchange communication system) which takes into account that language is a behavior and learned language behaviors like stringing pictures in left to right sequence and physically handing them to someone or pointing to the symbols is an established behavior that many students have learned and developed. This is their language behavior that has been reinforced very methodically.
As many of our students have this language behavior using pictures established, this is the platform that can now be used to move the students into a similar method with a voice attached. We can capitalize on the physical behavior and just layer on the voice. In the past we have tried to move students from a PECS system to a Voice output device unsuccessfully as the patterning and access to the language is very different.
Many dynamic display devices link between pages and the language is hidden and revealed through a series of actions. Most of the students that demonstrate an active ability and desire for language would be intellectually able to do this...the struggle lies in the inability to be flexible with behavior, which is prominently observed in students with Autism. Many of the students would perseverate on the voice and would just use the device to become auditorially stimulated. A small population could make this transition but many, many just couldn’t make the connection. We feel and are beginning to see an easier transition towards a voice. This ties in very nicely to our goals for increased communication and socialization for our language impaired and autistic students.
The other really special quality that this device has is that as all of the picture symbols are pre-programmed with the message there is an increased opportunity to present language supports without planning and provide very spontaneously an outlet for language interaction without even knowing what may occur. For example if a student is looking towards the side of the room where the books are I can right in the moment put the tiles on the device and that say I want a book. Model it for the student, elicit the student to activate the device and provide immediate reinforcement to getting that book in the moment it occurred. As generalizing learned information is difficult for our students we can get the language to them as it occurs when it is most meaningful.
Our struggle for providing language accessibility during spontaneous occurrences and activity based lessons is much easier with the Proxtalker as a tool. The device also has the flexibility to practice isolated groups of words with repetitive practice. One device can be used with several students, devices can be used in teach settings where individual protocols are being practiced, enabling us to increase the demand for language within a familiar format. It is a tool that will make sense for families and can easily be incorporated during activities that are already occurring with no preparation needed.
The New York City Department of Education is always looking for ways to improve access to language and prepare our students to be more independent. Communication is primary to all education and social goals or them. This tool is becoming very valuable to us and we feel we are just beginning to think of ways to utilize this technology to give our students an increased access to their inner voice.
- Karen Gorman; Coordinator; District 75, New York City Department Of Education, Special Education Department
These are just some of the reactions of educational experts throughout the nation. With this and other factors in mind, coupled with all of the points listed above, Autism Health and Wellness is pleased to endorse this most unique and needed communicative device.
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