Comparing Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Systems
AAC Language Levels/ Systems Available
Speak for Yourself
Speak for Yourself Vocabulary Set: • 4,994 words out-of-the-box Beginner Vocabulary Set: • 200 words with other hidden Project Core Vocabulary Set: • 36 core words established by the Project Core Team with others hidden
Crescendo™ Vocabulary 3 Levels of Vocabulary: • Basic Communication • Intermediate Core • Advanced Core
Grid Size
Ability to Change Grid Size
No
Symbols Used
Smarty Symbols®
Yes
SymbolStix
N/A
N/A
Yes, organized under each core word
Symbol-based in picture mode, with text-to-speech capabilities (predictive keyboard) in keyboard mode Pragmatic vocabulary: Offers three graded vocabulary sets that are pragmatically organized
English
QWERTY keyboard with ability to install third party keyboards
Yes, categories organized by Nouns (Food, People, Places, Things and Time) Situational (Leisure, Phrases Religion, School and Sport) Grammar (Adjectives and Verbs) Activity (Creare, Daily, Life, Let’s Talk, Motor Play, Out & About, Reading and Toys & Games)
No standard grid set, however; within app settings to create high contrast option
English, Spanish, French and Dutch
Yes, typing view keyboard with word prediction, and standard alphabetical keyboard based on grid size
No
1-3
Yes, core words on home page with pragmatic categories (e.g. greetings, expressing an opinion, asking a question, giving a response, commenting, protesting, refusing/rejecting, labeling, making a joke, agreeing/ disagreeing, clarifying, instructing, expresing feelings, etc.) available in folders
Option for “quick phrases” on side navigation bar E.g., “I don’t know”, “good job!”, “how are you?”
Direct selection: touch, with in-app touch accommodations
No standard grid set, however changing the theme to Classic (Dark) created bright symbols with a black background
English, Danish, Faroese, French, Hungarian, Indian (supports 6 Indian languages - Hindi, Marathi, Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada), Sri Lankan, Swedish, Vietnamese
Yes, predictive keyboard with symbols embedded into prediction
Yes
Vocabulary Organization Type
Symbol-based, Core Word Vocabulary, Motor Planning
1-2
Navigational Demands: Maximum Number of ouches/hit to access vocabulary
Categories
Option for Phrases
Access Methods
Direct selection: touch
Yes
High Contrast Vocabulary Set Available
Tone out-of-box, can program
Language(s) Available
Keyboard Options
Embedded Online Image Search
No
Unique Features
Ideal Populations
Proloquo2go
23 grid sizes ranging from 9 to 144 buttons on the screen with the ability to customize to any grid size
SymbolStix
Symbol-based, Category-based with elements of motor planning in Crescendo
1-5 hits depending on grid size
Yes, in Basic Communication vocabulary set E.g., “I want”, “I don’t like”, “I need help”
Direct selection: touch, with in-app touch accomodations available -Indirect selection:switch scanning
Research-based pragmatic vocabulary - Level 1 Vocabulary - has around 500 words and is optimized for 15 pictures per screen - Level 2 Vocabulary - has around 2000 words and is optimized for 24 picture per screen - Level 3 Vocabulary - has around 2500 words and is optimized for 40 pictures per screen
Yes
120 buttons
Avaz
within grid-based visual scenes- yes
No
10 grid sizes ranging from 1 picture per screen to 77 per screen
N/A, however may create up to 5x5 visual scene grid
Limited photograph and symbol library, plus access to Nuvo camera for use of personal and videos
Visual scene display
N/A
N/A
Can prerecord meaningful phrases/gestalts into any picture, video or grid-based scene
Direct selection: touch
No
Multiple accents available for recordings in different languages
No
No
Scene and Heard Pro-Lifetime
Visual scenes with embedded hotspots - Video scene with embedded hotspots - Grid-based scenes with embedded hotspots - Transition to literacy visual scenes with sight word and decoding options - Visual time able with daily or weekly calendar and embedded scenes - Communication books
Predictable
Multiple keyboard options • QWERTY • ABC • High Frequency • Ten Key • Emoji • Native Can customize all keyboards by number of columns and rows
N/A
Text-based with word prediction and quick phrases
Simple categories available
yes
Direct selection: touch, head tracking, head tracking with switch selection
Yes, high-contrast theme available
English, Dutch, Swedish, Danish, Finnish, French, Spanish, Portuguese, Norwegian, German
Yes, 17 pre-built keyboard themes
N /A