Article Review:adaptive devices/equipment that may be used in TR activities

    The title of the article was "A review of innovative apps for students with communication needs" from the American Journal of Recreation Therapy. It was written by Lauren A. Menard, EdD. I found this article by looking up journals about therapeutic recreation. I was able to read  the American Journal of Recreation Therapy for free through the Murphy library. I paged through a few issues and found an article that sounded intriguing. There were many other interesting articles in the issue as well.
    In this article I learned about a few different kinds of assistive technology (AT). AT is commonly used by people with communication disorders, such as Autism Spectrum Disorders. I learned that this can be called augmentative and alternative communication or AAC and can replace verbal communication for people with cognitive and developmental delays, brain injury, speech and language disorders, and behavioral disturbances. In the past AAC was in the form of books or cards with pictures on them used by a person to communicate called Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS). These cards were laminated and kept in a binder that must be brought everywhere by the person using them. As an individual's vocabulary expanded, the binder grew with more cards. This can become cumbersome and makes an individual stand out as being "different".
    We now live in an age of technology where iPhones, iPods, and iPads are becoming common sights. With this technology is the ability to expand communication. Several applications or "apps" have been developed specifically for people with communication disorders. The article I read discussed the benefits of these apps which are assistive technology vs. the standard Picture Exchange Communication System. Cost, accessibility, and "cool factor" were all considered. It was found that PECS is around $150 for a starter kit. This does not include adding cards as vocabulary expands. It was decided that PECS can become large and cumbersome especially during travel. Because of its largeness it came in with a very low cool factor. It made people stand out as having a disability. One iPad app that was discussed cost about $190 not including the initial cost of the iPad or similar device. These devices are small enough to fit in a pocket and less conspicuous to carry around. Because they are everyday devices users don't stand out as abnormal. They also come it with a high cool factor. Overall, an app was found to be the better option of AAC.
    I will use what I learned in this article in my future if I work with individuals with autism or other communication disorders. PECS are the common use for communication right now, but in the future many things will be moving in a technological direction. As a professional in the field of therapeutic recreation I will need to be aware of any technological advances that my clients will know about and potentially be using. The article mentioned that people who use this technology, such as special education teachers, are often under trained. In order to be more effective at my job, I may need to get special training and make sure I am up to date on new technological advances.
    I would recommend this article to other TR students because I did not know much about augmentative and alternative communication before reading this article, but now that I have, I am interested in doing more research on the subject. Other TR students should also now the most up to date information on AAC and laws about assistive technology.