Universally compatible with
all Apple devices
TapSpeak Sequence
As the name implies, this iPad app deals with sequences or steps. You touch one image and TapSpeak Sequence says whatever you have recorded and automatically moves to the next image (the next step). You decide what the image is and you control the message that's spoken. That's the basics right there. As the developer points out, you can "use TapSpeak Sequence instead of sequential message switches to record and customize messages without losing any previously recorded sequences."
Given that basic functionality, and your creativity, imagine the different things you can do with this app. I chose to use it to help teach my son basic addition. He can't add 1 + 1 and TapSpeak Sequence gives me the basic functionality I need to create easy-to-understand visual math lessons for him. It's great for that! I will probably also use it to help teach him sight words.
When I created new sequences I used an app called Drawing Pad to design each 'screen' I wanted in my sequence. But you could do the same by importing your own photos or you can use the included symbols. For an additional $20 an in-app purchase allows you to use the PCS Symbol Library.
TapSpeak Sequence has a couple little quirks but exiting the app and then restarting fixed things. Those little quirks are overshadowed by many great features and the app's customizability and flexibility. You can have any number of sequences and any number or steps within your sequences. You can fully adjust the sensitivity of the tap required to interact with the app. That's great and especially useful since many kids with autism have varying motor skills challenges. You can reorder a sequence if you realize that you should have put an extra step somewhere else. You can record your own message and talk as long as you want. If you like options, this app gives you options.
With all that I have a couple suggestions for improvement:
- It'd be cool to only see the sequence bar when in edit mode or when choosing which sequence to go into. Why? Because with the bar there my son can jump ahead and choose a different step that's out of sequence. By default the bar is hidden when the iPad is in portrait orientation, but it'd be cool to have that option while in landscape also. With my son we keep his iPad locked in landscape. I've found that he gets frustrated if the screen flips to portrait while he's using the iPad. My son tends to move around a lot and if we don't lock the orientation the screen is all over the place.
- I'd like all the settings completely gone when not in edit mode. My son will find the settings and jack things up.
- OK, I'm asking for the world here, but TapSpeak Sequence would be even more flexible if we could put multiple 'hotspots' on one image within the same step. That would be like having sub steps. Cool!
The only real issue I noticed was that when I mark a sequence as 'not modifiable' I can still add a new step and change the order of the steps. So, even though I told it not to let this sequence be modified, I could still modify it. My son's slippery fingers would quickly figure that out. But that's only a problem in landscape orientation. As I said, you don't even see the steps when in portrait mode.
With its simple yet powerful interface TapSpeak Sequence is a winner in my book. I can't think of a better way to demonstrate the complex and abstract idea of math for a child with autism. And that's just the tip of what TapSpeak Sequence is capable of. I'll probably use this app in the future to help my son learn how to tell time. How big is that?
