background
The Proxtalker was developed in U.S.A. by Glen Dobbs for his son Logan, who is diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Logan is a great user of a low tech system using moveable picture cards, but his father and friend set about designing a system to give him a 'voice'. He quickly learned to ask for a favourite toy and now orders his own takeaway meals and talks to him mum on the phone.
Since this time the Proxtalker has been introduced to U.S.A., U. K. and other European countries. Parents, teachers, therapists and others working with children and adults without functional speech have seen many applications for the Proxtalker. It can be used in group or individual activities or to add to an individual's alternative and augmentative communication systems. The original intended application, Logan's use of the Proxtalker, has been expanded widely to include use with people with a range of diagnoses.
features
The Proxtalker features :
- rugged construction, water and shock resistant
- 5 zone buttons with hook and loop fastener
- tags coded with radio frequency identification, and with hook and loop fastener
- when the selected tag is placed on the button and pressed, the recorded message will speak
- high quality, loud and clear digitized (recorded) speech in any language or any voice
- a set of 80 pre-programmed vocabulary tags (words and phrases) in British English
- programming tags to re-record tags, check battery level, change volume, erase recordings
- place the programming tag on a button and follow the voice prompts
- in-built microphone
- runs on 4 standard C batteries
- USB connectivity for data exchange and web based download
- can hold more than 10,000 words
how to use the Proxtalker
The Proxtalker is so simple to set up; it can quickly be used as the focus of an activity. The hook and loop fabric pages store the tags. The tags can be recorded with any content required, from words, phrases, sentences or sounds in any language or voice. The tags can be labeled with photos, symbols, object symbols or words. Alternatively the pre-programmed vocabulary set can be used with little preparation.
Activity ideas:
- use the buttons to start a sentence e.g. "where is....?" To enable the participants to complete the question, the options can be positioned on the fabric page. Take turns to choose the item that becomes the object of a treasure hunt.
- making choices: with or without a sentence starter, offer a selection of items that relate to choosing a snack, a play activity, song. For example, participants make their choices, choosing the next verse/animal in "Old McDonald had a Farm".
- giving an opinion: lay out the tags relevant to a question asked such as "what do you think about X?" Available responses might include tags "I like it", "I don't like it", "it's scary" etc.
- requesting: lay out the choices relating to an activity or song choice.
- and so many more ....
