BECCA ISENBERG: M.A., CCC-SLP : App Reviewer & Ambassador for Bluebee Pals.
I am always looking for fun and inventive tools to help my clients communicate more efficiently. As an SLP, I want to be creative and find ways to engage children in a variety of communicative functions (e.g. requesting, commenting, recurrence, rejection, etc.). When I initially reviewed the Bluebee Pal on my website, www.gravitybread.com, I loved the different ways that I incorporated and utilized this assistive technology tool. Many of my clients with varying disabilities were immediately drawn to its sweet and cuddly appearance. When working with children with Autism, I noticed an improvement in engagement and initiation of communication with the Bluebee Pal. Once it began talking via connected by Bluetooth from my iPad, the Bluebee Pal became another important tool in my therapy toolbox.
The most commonly used apps that I use on a regular basis are Touch Chat, Proloquo2Go, Compass, LAMP, Go Talk Now, Speak for Yourself and Sono Flex. Other text to speech apps that I commonly use are Verbally, Proloquo4Text and Predictable. On the Bluebee Pals website, I have written therapy activities to be used with this engaging tool. With regards to the question, “What app is best with the Bluebee Pal?” I would answer that it is how you use the app, not which app you use. Bluebee Pal can be used successfully to meet a variety of speech and language goals.
Speech & Language Goals
- Requesting
- Commenting
- Turn taking
- Expanding vocabulary
- Conversation
- Role Play
- Symbolic Play
- Following Directives
- Improving Engagement
Symbol Based Apps
- Touch Chat (with Word Power)
- Proloquo2Go
- LAMP
- Compass with PODD, Gateway and Word Power
- Sono Flex
- Go Talk Now
- Speak for Yourself
Text to Speech Apps:
- Proloquo4text
- Predictable
- Verbally
Becca Iisenberg, MS, CCC-SLP, is a speech-language pathologist, author, instructor, and parent of two children, who began her website www.gravitybread.com to create a resource for parents to help make mealtime an enriched learning experience .She has worked as a specialist in area of Augmentative and Alternative Communication for over 15 years serving both children and adults with varying disabilities in schools, day habilitation programs, home care and clinics.
