NOTE: This article was originally written in 2021. Apps are frequently updated. Some of the information below may be out-of-date.
I work as an Assistive Technology Specialist in a local school district in Seattle. I recently consulted with a team hoping to find an AAC solution for a literate high school student who was struggling to participate in back and forth conversations fluently. He uses his own verbal speech occasionally, but not consistently. He had been using Proloquo2Go by AssistiveWare, but this solution was not meeting his needs anymore. His team was looking for both a keyboard plus the ability use pre-stored messages. I looked at three options total.
Exploring text-based AAC was new to me, so I dove in and tried all three apps. All three were similar in price and created by well-known AAC vendors. I did try a few free options from the App Store on my iPad, but these didn’t seem sufficient to support a student’s communication.
Spoiler alert: the team chose Predictable. 🙂 (smiley emoji)
Here are some of my impressions from my investigation into text-based AAC apps:
- Proloquo4Text: I found the layout of Proloquo4text visually confusing. While the same editing and backup options were available with Proloquo4Text which I do really like, there was something about how this app felt to use that I found difficult.
- Dialogue AAC: I liked Dialogue AAC because I am familiar with Touch Chat, so navigating the app and programming were intuitive for me. There were a lot of customization options to which the team responded positively.
- Predictable: Predictable was brand new to me and came highly recommended by a mentor in the field. Being completely new to Predictable, I found it extremely intuitive and easy to use. I loved the user interaction and how easy it was to customize. I also had a positive experience with the support team at Therapy Box. They have a very integrated and easy way to request support through the app. I received replies to my questions or requests within 24 hours.
Predictable is my top choice for a text-based AAC app option for any literate student! What I was working with the app, I quickly figured out navigation. I was able to add my own phrases, phrase pages, and pictures. There was a decent amount of customization options, especially in regards to the colors of the keyboard or app layout. It worked wee with Guided Access. I love how it had emojis!
Share your comments or questions.