What can Speak My Mind AAC do to improve? Most importantly, have fun and introduce the device and app initially at motivating times for the young person. A good communication partner should model words from the device, take it easy at the start model 1 or 2 core words per sentence until you become comfortable. The communication partner is as important as the application in this respect. Lots of modelling on the device is key and an important part of two-way communication. Before using the app with a young person it is important that the teacher familiarises themselves with the application. It is important to note, that is Speak My Mind is the young persons preferred medium of AAC, it must be available to them at all times throughout the day. Teachers will be able to hear their young person’s voice first and foremost. This can also lead to lessened anxieties and in some cases dysregulated behaviour. Students will be able to make their needs and wants known in a more efficient way. The editing features allow you to personalise as much as you need to. I have used the app with young children on the autism spectrum, however Speak My Mind can be used with all ages including adults. Many parents have asked me over the years if hi tech AAC will replace speech for users who are pre-verbal, much research is now available to show us that this form of AAC kick starts speech for many users. Speak My Mind AAC develops expressive communication and language skills. A big thumbs up to developers, well done! Speak My Mind AAC is a well thought out and informed design application and should always be considered when trialling AAC with people with communication difficulties. Guided access within iOS also can help you with locking into the main screen should you need to.

Backup features are available within the settings in addition to voice settings-pitch and accent.

Speak My Mind is not as complex as other AAC apps and does not contain pre set core boards with each category which can be less overwhelming when a young person is trying to communicate quickly. A categories section enabling you to choose from a variety of options and also add your own words. Favourites-Which contains a variety of quick and easy go to questions or responses including recently used phrases or words and 3. Predictions (Really clever word prediction feature allowing the communicator to express needs and wants quickly) 2. Upon opening, the main interface has 3 main modes to work with 1. The user interface is intuitive and easy to use with the developers website also containing videos to get you up and running. Over 6000 words are preloaded on Speak My Mind, however what I really love is the ability to create your own categories and add words allowing fantastic personalisation. Most importantly, Speak My Mind is totally customisable allowing you to make use of the device camera for preferred and familiar visuals-very important for our young AAC users particularly on the autism spectrum. Speak My Mind gives us a further option in this respect that is easy to set and use. As a school we follow the ‘Total Communication’ approach which means we expose our young people to a variety of strategies when it comes to augmentative communication allowing the learner to find their most suitable approach. Speak My Mind is a fantastic AAC aid that develops communication skills for non-verbal and minimally/pre-verbal users who have complex communication needs.Īs a teacher of children on the Autism Spectrum with complex communication needs, I am constantly looking for the most appropriate form of Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) to use with the children at our school.

Research tells us that consistent exposure and modelling of these words are vital in language development for AAC users. Speak My Mind AAC contains over 6000 words including core vocabulary-words the account for 85% of everyday language (The most important feature of any AAC device). Speak My Mind learns to predict what you want to say, helps developing language understanding, enriching vocabulary and refining grammatical skills. Speak My Mind AAC is an Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) application that enables quick communication for AAC users.

Speaking mymind