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Talkbox to create evolving visual language for autistic children

Rajni Mehta:

The concept

Talkbox is a conceptual tool that would help to build and improve the communication ability of autistic children who have severe speech impairment. Talkbox is different from other communication systems that have been developed and introduced to autistic patients so far. The other available communication tools are mostly text or voice based whereas Talkbox intends to deliver personalized visual language to autistic kids with speech difficulties. Basically, this communication system facilitates an autistic child to communicate or interact with people, he is close to, in a language that the child knows, understands and lives in. Talkbox makes the most of the repetitive behavior that autistic patients display and, utilizing this habit or tendency, creates an organized connection list, along with a time or/and place based dictionary or vocabulary.

The Target

The concept, Talkbox, has been solely created looking at the difficulties faced by autistic children with major speech impairment and, hence, the target audience or consumers of this communication tool are autistic children and their families.

The need

Autism may not be a very common disease and you won’t find an autistic patient in every other home. But, at the same time, the fact that the number of autistic patients has been increasing lately and it is no more that rare a disease can not be ignored. Though the numbers of autistic patients has been increasing lately, yet the tools to make the lives of autistic children easier have not evolved much. Therefore, the introduction of an evolving communication tool has become the need of the hour. To meet this need, the concept of Talkbox has been developed. With personalized visual language, this communication system would help autistic children with speech impairment, express themselves better and that too in their own language.

Key features

Talkbox flaunts various features that are interesting as well as truly helpful for autistic children in communicating with others. The communication system features a speech processing engine that works in tandem with a system that detects and recognizes objects. There’s a storage compartment in the unit for keeping image printouts or storymakers, a multitouch screen for animation playback, a single Arcade like button that helps to take pictures of things and people that surround the child. There is a panel in the system that displays the pictures of people that the child may need to send a message to. People, who receive messages from the child through Talkbox, can respond to the message using their smartphones. Talkbox utilizes the visual vocabulary of the child to connect to people, who are in his quick connect list, through Internet. Parents of autistic children using talkbox can connect with each other and help each other by posting or uploading videos and images from the child’s vocabulary on the talkbox website.

The solution

Talkbox works in a simple and organized fashion. The images taken by the children or their parents by tapping the arcade like button are printed in paper that is specially formatted by talkbox. These image printouts (of people, things and the child’s surroundings) serve as the story makers for the autistic kids and can be segregated by parents as per the time and place. The child has to put images or characters in the creation zone after releasing the lid by tapping the button. The camera starts recording the message immediately after the child places the characters on the surface. The child then has to choose the person he wants to send the message to by selecting the photo of the particular person from a separate panel displaying the photos of all people whom the child may need to communicate with. To do so, the child only has to tap the photo from the panel and then tap the button once again to send the message. The person receiving the message can reply back to the message in the same language that the child understands through touch based smartphones by accessing the visual vocabulary online. The communication system allows a child to interact directly and on a one-to-one basis with others by using the same storymakers or image printouts to build up a story physically.

The facility of connecting parents of autistic children through the closed online community is also helpful and appreciable. Parents of autistic children can post, upload and download images, messages or videos of a child’s visual vocabulary which helps them to create better, richer and improved vocabulary. Also, parents can share and access tips on ways for better communication with their autistic kids.

Related trends:

1. iPad

Apple has introduced certain apps which serve as therapeutic tool for autistic patients with speech impairment. The main areas of development that iPads are aiming at are communication, behavior modelling and activity planning. Some special applications launched by iPad are very helpful for autistic children with speech difficulties.

2. Repeat tool for autistic children by Jesse Resnick

Repeat Tool is a concept tool for regulating and replacing the harmful repetitive behavior of autistic children by substitutes that are less damaging or harmful by nature. This tool is to be attached to the wrists of autistic kids. There’s a timer in the tool that helps to change the repetitive behavior of the kids. The kids can tug, rub, chew, bite and squeeze the stretchable material of the tool which would finally help to replace the harmful behavior of the child like head banging, arm flapping, etc. The conceptual tool has a range of other helpful features.

Source http://www.designbuzz.com/talkbox-create-evolving-visual-language-autistic-children.html
Tue, 20 Dec 2011 05:58:06 GMT
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