5 Things To Do Before You Choose an AAC App: Take A GULP

Thinking about getting an AAC app for someone you know with significant communication difficulties? There are some exciting options out there and more AAC apps are being released all the time. It’s easy to get caught up in the possibilities and click on the harmless little ‘buy’ button. We know. We’ve done it, too. And learned from it. So, next time you are thinking about buying an AAC app, stop for a second and take A GULP:

1. Ask: What do I want the person to be able to do with this app? An app for generative language has very different specs than and app for choice-making.
2. Get a comprehensive list of AAC apps, like this one from Spectronics, or consider a product like AAC Apps Assistant . Explore the product videos on iTunes, YouTube or at the vendor’s website.
3. Use a feature match approach to assessment to ensure a good fit between the app and the communicator.
4. Look at app reviews to get a sense of what others think and narrow down your options. Growing list of options from places like The App Academy.
5. Play: See if you can get a lite version to explore before you decide. Ask around. Maybe a colleague or someone at your school has the app and will let you take a look at it.

Take A GULP. You’ll be glad you did.