Hannah Aguilera

EDU 214
Assignment 9
3/30/16
Technology in Special Education
Assistive technologies can do wonders in supporting and helping a child learn and
function in a classroom environment, specifically for students with special needs. Augmentative
and Alternative Communication (ACC) systems, specifically voice output devices such as
Proloquo2Go, help students with autism, and other students with communication and language
disorders interact with others. According to King and Fahsl in their article Supporting Social
Competence in Children Who Use Augmentative and Alternative Communication children with
complex and severe communication impairments often cannot meet their communications needs
with natural voices and so ACC systems are used to help nonverbal individuals communicate
clearer (pg.42).
ACC devices on computers and handheld tablets allow children in school to press what
they want to say, but physically cant, so the device speaks the words for them in a computerized
voice. An ACC device called Proloquo2Go, is a program that can be installed on computers, and
specifically iPads. This device or application is designed for people who are non-verbal or have
severe difficulties speaking and uses symbols or typed text with voice output that can be varied
to suit the age and character of the user (Hinman, 18). This specific application, as stated earlier,
can be placed onto an iPad, so it can be easily accessed and used in daily life typically by
children with down syndrome, autism and cerebral palsy. The user can choose their vocabulary
level, and create buttons to utilize their own images they upload, allowing them to customize the
vocabulary. The voice output comes into play because the app allows the user to download over

40 English and 7 Spanish natural sounding Text to Speech adult and children voices. The
Proloquo2Go device is a specific tool to develop verbal skills, and according to the Accessible
Technology Coalition, it is considered a high quality ACC device app (Hinman, 18).
Proloquo2Go gives school aged children, and even those who are younger, an easier avenue to
communicate (Hinman, 17). This device is used by many parents, and is being integrated into the
classroom on iPads because of its easy and unique design. Although Proloquo2Go costs
anywhere from $190- $250, the price is seemingly worth it to allow students with extreme
language/hearing disorders to work with their unique language barriers.

Works Cited
Hinman, Sherry. Apps For Audiology And Speech-Language Pathology. CASLPO Today 11.2
(2013): 17-19. Communication & Mass Media Complete. Web. 12 Apr. 2016.
King, Amie M., and Allison J. Fahsl. Supporting Social Competence In Children Who Use
Augmentative And Alternative Communication. TEACHING Exceptional Children
45.1 (2012): 42-49. ERIC. Web. 30 Mar. 2016.
Perry, Bridgett, and Anthony Tusler. "IPad/iPhone/iTouch AAC Apps Sorted by Voice Output
Type." Accessible Technology Coalition. Accessible Technology Coalition, n.d. Web. 30
Mar. 2016.