2016 Autism Awareness Month: AAC App Sale Roundup & Tips

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Here is a round up of the AAC app sales that have been announced so far for Autism Awareness Month. I have been announcing them in individual posts on my OMazing Kids Facebook page but thought a post listing them all might be helpful. AAC app sales are pretty rare. So this is a great opportunity to get an app that you have been considering:

FYI…
* Always verify an app price BEFORE purchasing it. App prices often change at 10:00pm CST (adjust for your time zone) but can change at any time without any notice.
* These app sales and prices will be in the USA App Store. Some apps may be on sale in other countries but I have no means of verifying that since I only have access to the USA App Store.
* If you plan on purchasing an app during a sale, it is wise to get it early in the sale to insure you don’t miss the sale pricing.
* Occasionally app developers decide to start a sale early or extend a sale but you can’t count on that happening.

Additional important info:

* Most app developers have a Facebook group for that app. I highly suggest joining these groups for an incredible amount of support from the app developers as well as other parents, therapists & teachers. Every group has it’s own “culture”. Some are very open to discussing any topic. Others are pretty strict about only posting info or questions directly related to that particular app. Here is a list of the FB groups:

– aacorn: https://www.facebook.com/groups/aacornapp/?ref=ts&fref=ts
– Avaz: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1404976513132058/?ref=ts&fref=ts
– Clicker Communicator: https://www.facebook.com/groups/Clicker.Communicator/?fref=ts
– Dynavox: https://www.facebook.com/groups/675299919223246/?fref=ts
– LAMP WFL: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1541091616125345/?ref=ts&fref=ts
– Proloquo2Go for Professionals: https://www.facebook.com/groups/256837297733511/?ref=ts&fref=ts
– Proloquo2Go for Parents: https://www.facebook.com/groups/241684205905600/?ref=ts&fref=ts
– Proloquo2Go & Proloquo4Text Adult Users: https://www.facebook.com/groups/192898234141275/?ref=br_rs
– Speak for Yourself: https://www.facebook.com/groups/273873326092019/?ref=ts&fref=ts
– Tobii: https://www.facebook.com/groups/tobiiuk/?ref=br_rs
– TouchChat: https://www.facebook.com/groups/touchchatapp/?ref=ts&fref=ts

I have suggested to the developers of the GoTalk Now app that a group be started but so far I’ve only seen a parent led one in Swedish. I have also suggested to the developer of the new Total Talk AAC app that they start a group. He was very open to the idea so I hope to see that soon.

There are also numerous other AAC-related Facebook groups. Again each having it’s own culture and dynamic. I’m not going to list all of those here…. but if you are a SLP, I definitely suggest joining the AAC for the SLP group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/1539830846285663/.

* All states in the USA are supposed to have an Assistive Technology Lending Library program where parents & professionals can borrow AAC devices, iPads with AAC apps & other AT for short-term trial. It’s a great way to try various options out before making purchasing decisions. There are lots of great AAC apps…. but like anything there is no magical solution that meets every child’s specific needs. That’s why doing a good feature-match and trial of options is critical. I highly suggest an AAC eval with a SLP. The AT Lending Library in your area should know of folks in your area who do them.

Find the AT Lending Library in your state: http://www.ataporg.org/states.html. Also can look on: http://www.resnaprojects.org/allcontacts/statewidecontacts.html

* If you are a parent of a child with special needs and you are either tired of waiting on professionals being the gatekeepers for your child’s AAC options or have decided that don’t want to wait on an AAC evaluation, I still highly suggest doing a little “homework” to help you consider whether or not a particular AAC is a good match for your child before purchasing it. You can make informed purchasing decisions by watching videos of that app in use, reading parent blogs, joining the Facebook groups I listed above, find someone in your area who has the app, etc.

* Before commenting that these AAC apps are “so expensive” even on sale, please consider that “expensive” is a relative term. Compared to traditional AAC devices that cost thousands of dollars, these apps even at full price are a bargain and many parents end up purchasing an app themselves rather than continuing to wait for someone else to meet their child’s needs. The developers of these AAC apps have continued to invest their time and $$$ to add improvements to the app and pay licensing fees for high quality voices and symbol sets so we should not ever expect one of these apps to be free or cheaper than these sale prices. That being said, if the sale price is still out of reach for your budget then you may want to look for funding assistance. The AT lending programs I mentioned above are typically good resources for info about grant options for AT / AAC in that state.

* To find the pricing history of any app in the USA App Store, search for that app on this website, tap on the name of the app and then scroll down to the bottom of the page: http://appshopper.com

* Disclaimer: I do not have a financial relationship with any app developer or AAC company. I am only sharing this info to help spread the word to get more AAC options into the lives of kids who need it. My “favorite” AAC app is the one that has the features that best match that individual child’s needs at that particular point in time.

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There may be other AAC apps go on sale. For the most current info, be sure to “like” my OMazing Kids Facebook page (http://www.facebook.com/OMazingKidsYoga – see this post for details on adjusting your settings to see all the posts: https://omazingkidsllc.com/2015/12/09/tip-how-to-get-all-the-facebook-posts-from-omazing-kids-and-other-pages/) & join my AppPeeps Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/OMazingKidsAppPeeps/)
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Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP
Speech-Language Pathologist
Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness & educational activities for kids of all abilities
Home E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com
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Angela Moorad is the founder of OMazing Kids, LLC and is an ASHA certified & licensed pediatric Speech-Language Pathologist and Kids Yoga Teacher with over 26 years experience working in a variety of settings (early intervention, schools, teletherapy & a nonprofit pediatric rehab hospital for children with developmental disabilities). She is an app beta tester for educational & therapeutic app developers and loves sharing info about great apps, products, books & toys to use with kids of all abilities.
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