PandaPal (AAC‪)‬ 4+

Autism Communication System

Kim Scott, M.S., CCC-SLP

Designed for iPad

    • 4.3 • 39 Ratings
    • Free
    • Offers In-App Purchases

iPad Screenshots

Description

PandaPal - Autism Communication System is a user-friendly communication tool that has been proven over the past 7 years to help facilitate communication and improve language skills, designed by Kim Scott-DeLand, M.S., CCC-SLP, Speech-Language Pathologist. This communication system allows non-verbal children and adults to exchange information by activating icons and creating sentence strips to exchange information. PandaPal has proven to improve the speech and language skills of thousands of children with autism in over 200 countries and growing! PandaPal was the first original application to use real photos and has its unique “touch and hold” button to avoid mistakes and over-activation of icons. PandaPal uses an adorable gender-neutral panda bear, your child’s pal, to help him/her communicate throughout the day!

3 APPS IN ONE!
• “First & Then,” “Schedule Board” and an “AAC device” are all included in Panda Pal.

PANDA PAL PRO
• Panda Pal comes with 12 common categories, however the Pro Version allows the user to add as many photos/categories as needed.
• Categories can be deleted, added or replaced and customized to meet the needs of the user.
• Once a category is selected the user is taken to a new screen of that chosen page.
• Each page comes with a sample of approximately 20+ icons, all of which can also be modified to meet the specific needs of the user.
• PandaPal is as customizable as you would like to make it (photo, audio, word) and accessible in ALL languages!

REAL HD PHOTOS
• App uses real photos, so you won't see any confusing abstract drawings.
• Kim has found that by using real photos her clients are more successful with communication and demonstrated 70% less frustration and confusion.

SIGN LANGUAGE PHOTOS
• Used for certain high frequency words such as; “want,” “please,” “yes/no” and "more."

CUSTOMIZE AUDIO
• This entire app was designed to be modified to meet the individual needs of the user and to allow for language growth.
• Words, phrases and entire messages are recorded in digitized speech, however users can choose to re-record in their own voice or a familiar voice of mom/dad or a sibling, which has been proven to help children with autism feel more comfortable and help develop verbal speech.
• Real speech provides natural prosody and allows the user to hear and model accurate speech as opposed to unnatural ‘robotic speech.’

INCIDENTAL LEARNING
• Achieved by teaching your child to read by placing words directly on top or below each photo, you can modify this in settings.
• Font size and color can be modified to meet your needs.

TOUCH-AND-HOLD
• A unique, one-of-a-kind feature, designed by Kim Scott-DeLand, M.S., CCC-SLP, to help prevent small hands from unintentionally tapping the wrong icons.
• When this feature is turned on, it requires that you touch and hold the intended icon for one second, as displayed by a progress meter before activation occurs.
• Now for the first time, users can touch icons without accidentally selecting them.
• Kim designed this feature after hours of research with her clients and it has been proven to help clients make accurate choices.
• Touch-And-Hold is optional and can be turned on or off in settings.

CUSTOMIZE ICON SIZE
• Only app that allows for the icon to be easily modified to fit your child’s needs.
• Extra large icons (2 icons) or as small as 24 icons per page for higher-level language learners.

DATA COLLECTION
• Just with one tap of the star button saves a sentence that your child created.
• Watch your child’s language develop and keep a record of your child’s success!
• Great tool for SLP’s and educators.

FIRST & THEN
• Designed to teach children that one event must come before another.
• For example, First "homework” and Then "snack.”
• Select the events from the built-in library or take a photo and add them into a place of either ‘First’ or ‘Then.’

Terms of Use: https://www.apple.com/legal/internet-services/itunes/dev/stdeula/

What’s New

Version 2.3

Minor bug fixes and improvements.

Ratings and Reviews

4.3 out of 5
39 Ratings

39 Ratings

kitchenl ,

Good AAC app

This is an app that can be used for communication, for picture schedules and for first-then activities. The picture sizes can be changed to 5 different sizes. It is easy to add pictures and record voice output for each picture. I really like the first-then feature. I can see this app used both by parents and in school settings. Overall I like the app. My only concern is that having the word in the middle of each pictures tends to "block" the picture. I wish that there was some choice of where the word could be placed, either at the top or bottom.

specialappssk ,

Great features but no SEARCH function :( 4 stars with that added

I picked this up for FREE and was surprised at all the great features, options (a first-then and schedule option!!) and customization of icon sizes, color etc. I also like the history feature where a user's utterances, or even past first-then boards, or schedules, can be pulled up for use again, along with info a helper can edit to include whether the utterance was independent, or prompted-that is a unique feature. One MAJOR glaring error though-which means I sadly won't be using it because it is not convenient the way it is currently set up- there is no SEARCH function to make it easy to quickly add photos on the fly with the schedule and first-then options-two features which really make this app awesome, as everything is all in one place. Right now you have to scroll through all the existing icons to the bottom, where the icons you save go... If you add a search feature I would definitely recommend this to those who want an all-in-one communication set up, and are willing to put in the time to customize it with their own vocabulary.

Occupational Therapist ,

Great AAC app!

This app is actually 3 apps for the price of one. It's a visual schedule builder, first then board, and an AAC app all in one. If your student/child is very visual and can make multiple level choices in a communication app, this might be the app of choice for you! If you had this app on an iPad that will go between home and school, it could potentially used as a stand alone communication device.

One can create clear visual schedules that can be saved. When the schedule changes, it's easy to modify the schedule by moving the activities into a different order, adding a new activity or deleting an activity.

The first then board will be a helpful when positive behavior support is needed. One can save the boards and return to them later. They are easily edited as well.

Last, but not least, this app can be used as an alternative augmentative communication device on your iPad. It's easy to customize with your own pictures and voice. Frequently used requests/statements can be saved for repeated use. You can have 2 to 24 icons with custom font size and color on each page.

I like the ability to set the "touch and hold" feature to prevent accidental activation of unwanted icons.

This is a very affordable option for AAC! One of a handful of app options I will use when trialing different AAC apps/devices during AT and AAC evaluations.

App Privacy

The developer, Kim Scott, M.S., CCC-SLP, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy.

Data Not Linked to You

The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:

  • Contact Info

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

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