Recently, blogger Ellen Seidman wrote an article for the Huffington Post detailing the lessons she has learned as a mother to Max, an adorable nine-year-old with cerebral palsy.  Check out her article, What I Know About Motherhood Now That I Have A Child with Special Needs, to find out what she’s learned from her journey with Max. And share a lesson that you have learned on your journey of parenting a child with special needs by posting a comment below.

Unlike modifying a button, the slot fillers are modified from the Vocabulary List within the Dashboard. Here are the 

steps I am going to follow to change the symbol on my slot filler:

1. Select  Dashboard.
2. Select Setup.
3. Select Data Management.
4. Select Vocabulary List Browser.
5. Select the Vocabulary List that contains your slot filler.
6. Select your slot filler.
7. Select the Task Button on the lower right.
8. Select Edit Symbol.
9. Search and select the symbol you wish the slot filler to have, and then select OK at the top.

10. Select Close until all menus have been closed.

Now, when I access the books slot fillers, I see the symbol I have selected. For more information and step-by-step directions on changing the symbol on slot fillers, click here.

For example, let’s create a photo album of their favorite toys.  Sharing your favorite things with others is a great ice breaker, a great way to start a conversation and friendship.

First, let’s Take a Photo:

• From the Home Screen, press Take Photo.
• Button 6 is now your viewfinder.
• Try using the Zoom In and Zoom Out buttons.
• Find your first toy and press Take Photo.

Now, let’s create a Photo Album and create a way to share with others:

• After you’ve taken your photo, press Create Album.
• Name your album by typing its title in the Message Strip.
• Let’s call it “Favorite Toys.”
• Press the green Save Album button.

The Tango takes you back to the viewfinder so you can continue to add more photos right away. Take another one. The album you just made appears as the first button. Save it there. Now, your Tango will prompt you to create a phrase to accompany the new photo. Choose to synthesize (type) or record an audio phrase, and follow the instructions in the message strip.

The Tango’s built-in camera is more than just a fun addition. It opens the door to endless opportunities to exchange ideas and experiences with the people important in your life. So let your child or student get behind the lens and get into conversation.

Word prediction calculates which words are most likely to occur within a set vocabulary, based on various parameters.  But what if you frequently use some words that are more specialized, like professional jargon, or vocabulary associated with a particular specialized interest or hobby?  Word prediction may not have your specialized vocabulary within its dictionary, and therefore will not “know” to predict those words as you type.

You can solve this problem by adding words to the dictionary in your Series 5 device.

Let’s say that my hobby is collecting Star Wars memorabilia, and I have frequent occasion to use specific vocabulary from the Star Wars movies, including characters, locations, and so on.  I can add this vocabulary to my dictionary, and word prediction will then offer me these words as choices as I type.

Adding to the Dictionary

1. Select the Main Menu.
2. Select Setup.
3. Select Tools.
4. Select Dictionary Browser.
5. Select New.The Edit Word Menu will open.  Type the vocabulary word that you wish to add in the text box beneath Word.  In my example, I am adding “wookie.”  Select the drop down for Parts of Speech.  The word I am adding is a noun, so I select noun.

   Note: If your word is a noun, you may select whether it is a proper noun, a mass noun (like milk; needs no article) or a count noun (like cookie; needs an article like the or a before it.

   You may also add the word to a conceptual category if you like. This puts the word within a category of like words, and adds another way for the software to retrieve the word.  In my example, I want to put my new vocabulary item, wookie, within the category movies.  You can either navigate through the concepts by selecting the plus (+) sign to the left of the Top Level folder and scrolling through the list,  or you may search for concepts by pressing the white bar at the bottom of the window and typing in what concept you are looking for. Once you have found the concept you want, put an “X” in the small square to the left of the grey circle and press OK.   Note: You can select more than one concept for the word.  In my example I might also choose the concept characters.

   By selecting the blue Frequency button you can adjust how frequently the word comes up in the word prediction windows. The numbers range from 1-99: 99 meaning all the time; 1 is very rare.

   You can also change all the word forms associated with the word depending on parts of speech your previously selected.

6. Press OK.

You have now added a new word to the dictionary. Your new word will now appear in your word prediction boxes.

Our goal for this blog remains true to that commitment by giving you the opportunity to interact with us at unprecedented levels. Our team of bloggers brings a range of diverse backgrounds – from speech-language pathologists, clinicians, and educators to individuals using DynaVox communication solutions in daily life – and they’ll share their thoughts are sure to inspire, educate, motivate and give you an insider’s view of DynaVox, our products and the lives of those who are touched by them.

We want to build a personal relationship between our bloggers and you. To do this, we need your participation. Everyone who uses a DynaVox product, supports an individual using a DynaVox product or just wants to learn more about AAC and the powerful effects that it can have on the lives of those who rely upon it, are encouraged to participate. You can participate by reading and commenting on posts, sharing your thoughts about specific posts, and asking questions of our bloggers.

We want this blog to be a place for lively, spirited debate and discussion on a range of AAC- and disability-related topics.  We encourage visitors to get involved by posting comments.  We don’t have a lot of rules, but the DynaVox Blog is a moderated website, and we ask that everyone observe the following guidelines when posting:

• Comment with passion! But please be respectful of others and refrain from using profanity, all forms of prejudice, and personal attacks against others.
• Never post personal information of a private nature.
• Stay on topic – or close to the topic at hand.
• Do not post spam or solicitations.
• Please do not post requests for customer service, technical support, etc. to the blog. If you have a customer service or technical support request, please contact that department directly via e-mail or phone to ensure that your request receives a timely answer from the individual in the best position to address your concern.

And be sure to watch for new posts every week!