Barry, March 4

Holly Gray Interview

Caleigh's mom, artist

Caleigh (her daughter) uses the app

around march 2010

"I started researching different communication devices and stumbled across that and the fact that the ipad was coming out, so I decided to give it a try then. I think it may have just been internet research trying to find different things just because there was so much buzz about the Ipad coming out."

"We've tried several. We've tried different things with switch access, eye based access, pretty much all of the big companies: Tobii,(unknown word) and DynoVox were the big ones. We also tried some other ones that were from Europe."

"We've tried several, and we continue to try things here and there too that come up just to see if anything is better, but so far it hasn't been."

"I think the graphics are really user friendly and kid friendly. Some of the other devices had antiquated graphics that were old looking. Also, they've, I guess within the last year or two, come out with real voices. So, Caleigh uses a real little girl's voice instead of a computer tone voice, and I do believe all of the other devices, the dedicated ones, still have the computer type of tone voices."

"I would think those are the two big things, and the fact that it's on an Ipad. That's more accessible and socially acceptable to everybody around her as well."

"We bought the Ipad, I guess it came out in March, so we bought it that May. We came home, downloaded the app, and the very next day she was telling us that she needed her diaper changed when she did need her diaper changed. We just slowly built up her vocabulary from their. She really does like using it, and she relates to it as her voice. She knows that that's how she can get her point across."

"It was really exciting. It was a cheerful moment because it was her using her voice for the first time. Up until that point she could say "uh-uh," shake her head for things, but nothing real solid and all the time. It was pretty much the first time she spoke to us in an appropriate way, so it was really exciting."

"I guess she was probably about 3-years-old then, so she was very frustrated. She had a lot of behavior issues. Basically she would just resort to crying when she couldn't get her point across, so when she wanted something or needed something and we didn't know what it was. Slowly, as she started using the Ipad, her frustration levels went down a lot. Her behavior has improved quite a bit because of that."

"For Caleigh, she has a lot of fine motor issues and challenges. She uses the screen. She touches the screen directly. So, for her it's a little more difficult."

"Yeah, I would say it would grow with the user quite a bit. Just for Caleigh, we continue to add folders and add things that she needs. It's grown with her perfectly fine so far."

"I do know some of the dedicated devices have things that children with autism would relate more to. For instance, the DynoVox device that have an area where you can set up 

you can set up rooms on the device and label the things in to room. Proloquo2go can't do that, but their are other apps for the Ipad that can.

"I don't know. I see dedicated device companies struggling. A lot of them have downsized, a lot of them are going towards Window's based tablets. So, I don't know. It's kind of an unchartered, teetering territory right now."

Lisa Dixon Interview

Customer Service at DynoVox

Three main devices that are being prescribed the most are the T10 (tablet based but dedicated to speech)

-costs $7,449

Meistro

-$7,820

Vmax

-$8,420

With Meistro and Vmax, user can control the device with their eyes. Requires extra device that costs about $7,000 

Offers the Compass app 

Subscription $29.99 per month. $300 for a year. Special: $100 for a year

"I think there will mainly be a need for the dedicated devices for the simple fact that a lot of people are going through funding. A lot of these insurance companies aren't necessarily leaning too quickly toward the app where it's like a constant cost associated. Like if they switch devices or something and they need to re-download it or get a new subscription."

"In order for insurance to pay for it, which a lot of clients are leaning to because of the cost, In order for insurance to pay for it and to be able to call into us and actually have someone to talk to about issues they have with it, 

"I think it's better for insurance to pay just one set amount and have it reliable as a piece of medical equipment. As far as state's justifying paying a price for people with Medicaid and Medicare, they want to be able to say that is a piece of medical equipment; that they're not just buying people computers."

"I understand the cost of the app and how that could be justified, but at the same time it's going to be difficult to justify buying someone on Medicaid or Medicare an Ipad. That's more or less seen as a computer or as something for entertainment and less for medical necessity."

She said she thinks the dedicated devices are here to stay because the majority of the people that need them are paying through insurance. Also, the user specific devices such as the eye movement based ones cannot be replicated in an app.