GoTalk Now is an AAC app that can help give an individual the ability to communicate via aided communication. GoTalk Now and GoTalk Now Plus by Attainment Company is flexible by nature and gives the user the ability to create various
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communication pages such as AAC2Go by Pati King DeBaun. The app comes with adjustable page layouts, customizable navigation, recorded and text-to-speech capabilities, and an included symbol set. I have previously used GoTalk Now for social scripts, choice making and increasing participation during both individual therapy
and within a classroom environment. For this article, I wanted to find a
creative way of using this app with the BlueBee Pal.
Cook with your Bluebee Pal!
Start with a blank overlay. The first overlay can be categorized by ingredients and steps of the recipe. Within the ingredients page, add one ingredient per button and choose to use recorded speech or text to speech. Begin by asking the Bluebee Pal (with the child accessing the messages) “wh”questions using the ingredients page (e.g. “What ingredient are we using next?”or “What ingredients do we need for the recipe?”). You can also incorporate word associations and categorizations within this activity by creating categories of food. This activity can also be a great opportunity for a student to give a direction as well (e.g. the student can tell you “pour the milk”).
Under the button “steps”, link to another overlay with the specific steps to the recipe. Within each button, create a message for the particular step (e.g. for the first button it can say “We need to open themilk”, etc.). Take consideration when creating the overlays concerning access,visual awareness, buttons per field, etc. GoTalk Now gives you the ability to create up to 25 messages in a field. Depending on your targeted speech and language goals, you can label each button 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., the word/sentence or a picture representing the step (e.g. pour the milk). During this activity, ask the child, “What should we do first?”, or use a prompt such as “Now it’s time to ______”. During this activity, the child will be able to
participate in the recipe together, initiate communication, improve navigation from one page to another, take turns and work on sequencing. Try this activity in a group session! Tip! Create a simple recipe with limited ingredients so
you can focus more on the speech and language goals then the activity. A recipe for making a
sandwich, pudding or lemonade can be a good start. Save, email and print the boards to send home with the
student’s parents for carryover.
participate in the recipe together, initiate communication, improve navigation from one page to another, take turns and work on sequencing. Try this activity in a group session! Tip! Create a simple recipe with limited ingredients so
you can focus more on the speech and language goals then the activity. A recipe for making a
sandwich, pudding or lemonade can be a good start. Save, email and print the boards to send home with the
student’s parents for carryover.