RANDOM (NO REPEATS)
Similar to Random mode but each time a message
is played, it is eliminated from the list of
potential messages, ensuring that they cannot be
repeated. This continues until every message has
been played once, after which the process starts
again with different randomisation. This mode
is ideal for choosing who goes next in a group
activity. Simply record the names of each child
and use
SMOOTH TALKER with LEVELS
to choose
who goes next. Nobody gets two goes and nobody
is left out!
A sequence may be re-started at any time by
briefly pressing the Record button [1]. All messages
are re-engaged and elimination begins again.
CHOICE
Choice mode allows users to exercise a choice
between two messages. The main switch always
plays message 1 on the current Level and the
external switch (whether wired or wireless)
plays message 2. If more than two messages are
recorded, the third and any subsequent ones are
ignored. For example, you could record ‘Yes’ as
the first message and ‘No’ as the second. Or try
‘Please’ and ‘Thank you’.
CHOICE PROGRESSION
Similar to Choice mode but allows a progression
through several choices. Record messages as
pairs and then for each pair, the main switch plays
choice 1 (the first message) and the external one
plays choice 2 (the second message). This mode is
ideal for choosing menu items- for example if you
were to record the following:
Messages 1/2
Pizza
Hamburger
Messages 3/4
Ice Cream
Doughnut
Messages 5/6
Lemonade
Juice
This example allows the user to choose between
pizza and burger, then ice cream or a doughnut
and finally lemonade or juice. The exercise may be
augmented with the provision of paired images,
perhaps as a flip chart.
A progression sequence may be re-started from
messages 1 and 2 by briefly pressing the Record
button [1] at any time.
CONVERSE (TURN-TAKING)
This unique mode allows a conversation to
take place between two users in a strict back-
and-forth order no matter how the buttons
are pressed. It is very useful in teaching turn-
taking and in teaching the users the skill of
conversation. There is no possibility of the
conversation getting out of sequence. First,
record a number of messages in the normal way.
Odd messages form one half of the conversation
and even messages form the other half. For
example:
Message 1 (James) “Hello, my name is James”
Message 2 (Catherine) “Hi James, I’m Catherine”
Message 3 (James) “What is your favourite food?”
Message 4 (Catherine) “I like pizza”.
For added realism you could use different voices
for each half of the conversation.
Once recording is complete, the main switch
[6] plays odd messages and the external switch
(wired or wireless) plays even messages. In other
words James, in the example above, uses the main
switch and Catherine uses the external switch
Because James has the main switch, he must
initiate the conversation by pressing his switch.
Catherine’s switch does nothing until the first
message is complete. Once the first message has
ended Catherine may press her switch and play
the second message, meanwhile James’s switch
does nothing, so he can’t interrupt, and so on.
Once all the messages have been played through,
James can start the conversation again. There is
no requirement for there to be an even number
of messages. The only requirement is that the
main switch initiates the conversation. To re-start
the conversation from the beginning, press the
record button [1] briefly at any time.
AUDITORY PROMPT
This mode is used to allow a teacher/care giver/
therapist to discreetly set up the correct message
more easily for a particular situation, while still
allowing the user to communicate.
To select the particular message to be played,
the carer repeatedly presses either an external
switch, or the Record button, to step through
the messages. These are played back at reduced
volume. There is no need to listen to each
message in full- you can step on to the next
message at any time. Note that the toy outputs
are disabled while stepping through messages
Once the required message is arrived at,
SMOOTH
TALKER with LEVELS
plays the message at
normal volume whenever the main switch is
pressed. Repeated presses of the main switch
repeat the same message.
