A Speech Language Pathologist's Take on Spoken AAC

Communication lies at the heart of human connection, and for individuals facing speech and language challenges, finding a voice can be a transformative experience. Caris Giessler, a passionate speech-language pathologist (SLP), has dedicated her career to helping individuals overcome these obstacles and reclaim their ability to express themselves. In a recent interview with us, Giessler shared her valuable insights into the use of technology — specifically the Spoken app — in supporting patients with diverse communication needs. Her expertise and firsthand experiences shed light on the impact of this innovative tool in empowering individuals to communicate effectively and with dignity, regardless of their speech and language difficulties.

We know our app is different from other AAC options, so if you’ve ever wondered what a certified SLP thinks about Spoken, this interview is for you!

The Interview

Q: Tell us about what you do and how you use Spoken.

I’m a speech therapist and have used the Spoken app for several different patients with various needs from progressive motor diseases, post-stroke speech challenges, post-seizure word finding difficulties, post-surgery voice loss, and intubation in hospital.

Q: How do the people you work with use the app?

Some of my patients use it for pre-programmed longer messages, some for building their own sentences, and some just to get a key word or specific word to add to their other verbal and nonverbal expressive language.

Q: What makes Spoken different from other AAC apps you’ve tried?

What stands out to me is that it is geared towards people with high intelligence and cognitive levels which prioritizes their dignity despite language/speech/voice/word finding challenges. There are also many different ways to elicit the spoken word: from writing to typing, to drawing, to word suggestions.

Q: What do you like most about Spoken?

This app has an excellent variety of accents and voices with personalization of rate and pitch! The larger print and background color options help both for fine motor accuracy and visual accommodations.

We Want To Hear From You Next!

We are immensely grateful to Giessler for sharing her invaluable insights as an SLP! They help highlight how Spoken is able to empower individuals to communicate effectively and with dignity.

If you’re a professional, caregiver, or individual who has used Spoken, we invite you to reach out to us and share your experiences as well! Your input is crucial in deepening our understanding of the app’s impact and shaping its development to meet diverse needs.