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The Kindle Fire as an AAC Communication Device

11/27/2015

3 Comments

 
Picture
One of the things that I have always appreciated about the Kindle Fire (which I am not affiliated with, but do, in fact, own) is that it's a very low cost access point for a communication device. It's only $50.
​
Quick Talk AAC, Speech Assistant AAC, LetMeTalk, TalkinPictures, TalkTablet, Gabby Tabs - you may not have heard of them, but these are all communication apps available for Kindle devices, most of which are FREE.
​

That means that, for the low price of $50, you can try out several AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) apps for your child or yourself. What's more, there's now a way to unlock the Google Play store without rooting your Kindle, so that ANY AAC app available for Android will be able to work on your Kindle.

I don't know about you, but I think that's amazing. If you already have a communication device for your child, but want a more mobile one, or one you don't have to worry so much about breaking during high use situations (it's $50, so less stress), this is a GREAT addition.

What's more, devices can actually be really great for working on turn taking, visual schedules, and even spoken communication. I know when I nannied a child on the spectrum, one of the BEST communication activities I could do was watch Angry Birds videos with him on his iPad. I would ask him wh- questions about what was going on, he would also ask me questions about the characters, I would work with him on making inferences about what was going to happen next...the list goes on.

What matters is not so much the device itself, but what you do with it. And with a Kindle Fire you can do a LOT.
​
You can purchase one here:
http://www.amazon.com/…/B…/ref=s9_acsd_bw_dcd_odsbncat_c0_t…

And check out the AAC apps that come with the Kindle Fire store here: http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss…

And, if you'd prefer to use the AAC apps in the Google Play store (which are more varied than those in the Amazon store - top ones include Alexicom, Avaz, JABtalk, Sono Flex, Nova Chat, and more!), you can add the Google Play store to your device without rooting it by following the directions here:
http://www.geek.com/…/you-can-access-google-play-on-amazon…/

Have concerns about using a communication device with your child? Check out this article about them 
http://www.speakforyourself.org/…/myth-augmentative-altern…/

-Creigh
3 Comments
Ettina link
6/22/2016 11:02:28 am

I'd like to plug my favourite AAC app, Cough Drop. It's also free, available cross-platform (so far the only electronic devices I've tried that it doesn't work on are a Blackberry and a Nintendo 3DS) and it has some nice design features that make it easier to support a growing and eventually large vocabulary, such as the ability to hide buttons without them moving, a search function, and the ability to have a large number of buttons accessible by only one or two hits.

Reply
Juanita
9/26/2018 11:11:26 am

I love the information. I just have one concern. Language matters and the use of language to describe a person, matters. Your sister has autism. She is not autism. She has a difference and is not defined by it. Diverse.

Reply
Kaylee
2/18/2022 11:08:30 am

Most autistic people prefer identity first language as autism cannot be removed from the person. I am autistic, and so are my 3 kids. Autism does define us as it's part of our neurological makeup

Reply



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    About Creigh

    I'm a college student who grew up with my Autistic younger sister, Caley. I've got a bachelor's degree in Psychology and I'm currently studying for my Master's in Speech Language Pathology.

    Neither of those, however, have given me an understanding of autism. All of my understanding comes from learning from the many autistic people that I know. As a result, I have a very different outlook on autism than most, and a burning desire to tell the world what I've learned. This blog is one of the many areas in which I attempt to do that.


    *Note, none of these make me a professional, so advice I give is not professional advice.

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