VOICE OUTPUT COMMUNICATION AID (VOCA)
What is a Voice Output Communication Aid (VOCA)?
It is a portable electronic communication device which assists people who have a communication impairment to express their needs, ask questions, exchange information and participate in conversations. It can produce either synthetic or digital speech for the user.
With what ages is VOCA effective?
A VOCA can be used effectively with children and youth with ASD who have limited or no verbal speech from early childhood through high school. The evidence base indicates that the devices are effective with learners ranging from 3 to 20 years of age.
What skills or intervention goals can be addressed by VOCA?
It can help children and youth with ASD effectively communicate with others in a variety of situations and settings. A variety of skills can be targeted for intervention, including initiation, expressive language (verbal), joint attention/gestures (non-verbal), and pragmatics (conversation skills). The research also demonstrates that reading and math skills can be addressed using VOCA.
Link to various product descriptions: http://www.specialed.us/autism/assist/asst14.htm
Source: http://autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/sites/autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/files/SGD_Overview.pdf
It is a portable electronic communication device which assists people who have a communication impairment to express their needs, ask questions, exchange information and participate in conversations. It can produce either synthetic or digital speech for the user.
With what ages is VOCA effective?
A VOCA can be used effectively with children and youth with ASD who have limited or no verbal speech from early childhood through high school. The evidence base indicates that the devices are effective with learners ranging from 3 to 20 years of age.
What skills or intervention goals can be addressed by VOCA?
It can help children and youth with ASD effectively communicate with others in a variety of situations and settings. A variety of skills can be targeted for intervention, including initiation, expressive language (verbal), joint attention/gestures (non-verbal), and pragmatics (conversation skills). The research also demonstrates that reading and math skills can be addressed using VOCA.
Link to various product descriptions: http://www.specialed.us/autism/assist/asst14.htm
Source: http://autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/sites/autismpdc.fpg.unc.edu/files/SGD_Overview.pdf
