Visual scene layouts can be great tools for some children and adults with communication difficulties such as autism, traumatic brain injury, and intellectual disabilities. A photo of one’s own kitchen, for example, with photos of food the person eats and the very oven that bakes the cookies the person adores, can be more meaningful and salient versus a “traditional grid display“. Use of layouts of this type are not new; however, mobile devices with built-in cameras and inexpensive, comprehensive apps, have made the task of creating these scenes faster and easier than in the past. It also has made it more convenient to include the user in the creation of the scenes and to incorporate their image within the photos themselves, both of which, might increase the user buy-in.
There are several apps available that allow one to create visual scene displays. Here are two for you to consider:
Scene and Heard 2.2-iOS (Apple only)-$49.99
This app allows one to combine photos, picture communication symbols, embed video, and audio recordings to create dynamic scenes.
http://youtu.be/R_iiaLYxXgo
AutisMate 2.02-iOS (Apple only)-$149.99
This app allows one to combine photos, picture communication symbols, embed video, and audio recordings to create dynamic scenes, as well, but it also incorporates separate interfaces to make visual schedules, visual stories, and to create video modeling scenarios for various tasks. In addition, it incorporates the built-in GPS capabilities of the iPad to automatically present you with picture scenes based on your location.
We have iPads with both of these apps and hundreds more, available for short-term loans from our IPAT Equipment Loan Library. Give us a call at 1-800-895-4728 to set up a rental.