The Proloquo2Go is a core word vocabulary app that runs on all iPad, iPhone and iPod models. It’s used by anyone who is severely speech-impaired or unable to speak. It provides many high-quality natural sounding text-to-speech voices and is fully customizable.
“Core vocabulary” is defined as words that are used most often. These words make up about 75-80% of the words that we use in everyday language.
“Fringe vocabulary” are words that we use less often, making up about 20-25% of the words used in everyday language.
The core word vocabulary program that comes with Proloquo2Go is called Crescendo. It is a newly developed research-based vocabulary that runs in Proloquo2Go 4.0. It has many solid features and may meet the needs a wide range of individuals. It’s important to know that you do not have to use Crescendo if you do not feel it meets the needs and or goals of your child or student. The Gateway App is available as an in-App purchase for Proloquo2Go.
Benefits of Adding Gateway To Your Proloquo2Go App
Gateway is a highly efficient core word vocabulary app that offers a variety of User Vocabularies (e.g., developing language, advanced communication, child functional). Each User Vocabulary includes a Dictionary, Theme pages, and a Home and School/Community Core to enhance communication. Gateway also provides different grid sizes so users can customize them to fit their needs. Grid sizes range from 3 x 4 (12 locations) to 10 x 14 (140 locations). Only Gateway for Proloquo2Go offers the 8 x 11, 9 x 12, and 10 x 14 grid sizes.
What’s unique to Gateway for Proloquo2Go is the Child Functional vocabulary. It’s designed for children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. It contains the standard features of the other Gateway User Vocabularies, but it also includes sensory based and action oriented fringe vocabulary. The Home page contains many of these words so the child can access them without unnecessary navigation or key selections. There is a “My Things” folder access from the home page that is open to provide quick and easy access to the child’s personal vocabulary.
All Gateway User Vocabularies contain an extensive list of fringe vocabulary which minimizes the need to customize the app for these fringe words / phrases. Fringe vocabulary is accessed through folders that link from the Home and other relevant locations and they can efficiently be accessed through the Dictionary within the Toolbar.
Gateway is simple to learn. Young children tend to separate pictures according to categories. That is, children can easily sort pictures into categories of people, colors, foods, places, and so on. The organization of Gateway reflects this developmental ability and uses a modified Fitzgerald Key Format to represent vocabulary.
The image above is an example of the Fitzgerald Key format. As seen in the images above, People are yellow; Verbs – green; Little Words – pink, Descriptive Words – blue; Things – orange and Places – purple. The child can move from left to right across the display making it easy to form a simple sentence.
For more information about the Gateway app, click here for the Gateway Manual PDF.
