The QuickTalker Freestyle should always be accessible. Teaching users appropriate ways to carry the device is a great way to ensure they always have their voice and helps prevent damage. This also promotes user autonomy by giving them the responsibility of transporting the device. 

Model the Skill 

Show users how to pick up, carry, and set down the device in different environments: 

• Demonstrate safely picking up and setting down the device.
• Use the handle, strap, or other carrying method during natural transitions. 
• Foreshadow and prompt the user to carry the device during a transition. 

Use Visuals 

Visual supports can outline when and how to carry the device and can be placed near exits, attached to schedules, or added directly to the case as a quick reminder. Use images and words like:  

• “Hold with two hands” and a picture of both hands holding the device.
• “Place on desk” with a diagram that shows how to kick out the kickstand.
• “Take your device” by the exit to remind users to bring it with them.

Practice With Natural Opportunities 

During the day, embed natural reminders when a student may need to carry a device from place to place. Try these strategies: 

• Use verbal or visual cues during transitions to bring their voice with them.
• Acknowledge when a user takes responsibility and independently carries the device.
• Make carrying it part of your everyday routine. 

Extra Tips  

• Think ahead about where the device needs to go throughout the day to ensure the device is always available. Remove barriers that make carrying the QuickTalker Freestyle difficult. 
• Consult with the whole team about the best carrying method (handle, shoulder strap, mount, etc.) based on user needs and environments. 
• Reinforce and praise attempts at carrying the device to acknowledge independence and responsibility.  

While powering the device on and off may seem straightforward, this skill is important in always making the device accessible to users. By turning the device off, battery life is conserved, and the user learns basic problem-solving skills. 

Model the Skill 

Show how to turn the device on at the start of the day and off at the end of the day. Remember: devices should only be turned off when a user has another method of communication available like a lite tech backup. Here’s some tips on how to model the skill:  

• Narrate what you are doing and the reason for doing it. 
• Have the user feel where the button is on the QuickTalker Freestyle.  
• When you power off, model going to get your lite tech backup. 

Use Visuals 

Create a visual sequence that outlines and shows the steps to powering the device on or off. For example, on the QuickTalker Freestyle:  

• “Hold down the top button” with a picture of someone pressing and holding the button. 
• “Slide to power off” with a picture of the screen and a finger moving across the screen. 
• “Hold down the top button until the screen turns on” and a picture of the screen when it starts up.  

Practice With Natural Opportunities 

Incorporate powering on and off into routines and teach when it’s appropriate to turn the device off or just put the device to sleep. Here are some examples of how to work it in:  

• Power the device on at the start of the day and power it off just before bed.  
• If the device died and is charging, model both how to unplug the device and turn it back on.  
• If you need to take a short break, work on modeling when it’s appropriate to put the device to sleep instead of turning it off.  

The QuickTalker Freestyle has a “sleep” mode to help conserve battery life. This is a helpful function to maintain the integrity of the battery and it is easy to “wake” the device so that communication is quickly available.  

Model the Skill

Show the user that pressing the top button puts the screen to sleep or wakes the device. Narrate when you may want to put the device to sleep or wake it up. For example: 

• “It’s your turn to talk, let’s wake up your device!”  
• “It’s story time, if you want we can put your device to sleep to listen.” 
• “Good morning, is your device awake to say hello?”  

Use Visuals  

Use visuals to show which button to press to put the device to sleep or wake it up. You can also use visuals to show when to sleep or wake the device. 

• Create a visual with a picture of the top button.
• Place a sticker with an arrow next to the top button.
• Have a visual for listening time where the device is “asleep” and talking time where the device is “awake.”

Practice with Natural Opportunities 

Repetition within the day can help build understanding of times when it is appropriate for the device to be awake or in sleep mode.  

• At the beginning of the day, practice “waking up” the device. 
• When it is listening time, check in with the user to see if they would like to put the device to sleep.
• Practice waking the device when the user enters a room.

Extra Tips

• Consult with the team to make sure the user can physically access the top button.
• Consider using alternative methods, like programming an accessibility gesture, to wake the device.
• Use a visual marker, like a piece of highlighter tape, near the button to bring visual attention to the physical location.

Adjusting device volume helps AAC users communicate in different environments. Like spoken language users, they need to learn how to make their volume louder or softer depending on the situation and whether others can hear them.

Model the Skill

Model scenarios of when to change the volume and how to change the volume. It is important to remember to never lower the volume to 0. Decide on a range of volume appropriate for various environments as a team.

• Verbally explain and show why you are changing the volume so the AAC user can learn adjusting volume based on the communication context.
• Model multiple ways to change the volume, including device buttons, on-screen controls, and app icons. This ensures the user can learn the most efficient and accessible methods.
• Lower the volume in a quiet, smaller setting (e.g., library, classroom) and raise the volume in a louder, group environment (e.g., gym, outside, cafeteria).

Use Visuals  

Use visuals to help AAC users understand the expectations of the environment.  

• Pair a quiet voice or low volume visual (or loud voice/high volume visual) in various environments or spaces.  
• Use a visual sequence to demonstrate the steps to raise or lower the volume. 
• Use a visual marker on the device to show where the volume buttons are located.  

Practice with Natural Opportunities  

Help AAC users understand context and other communication cues that happen in everyday scenarios and environments to know if volume needs to be adjusted.  

• When others do not respond to a communication attempt from the AAC user, model or prompt the user to increase the volume to help gain the attention of others
• If others react strongly or seem startled, use that moment to teach lowering the volume of the device.
• Provide feedback and cues, which can be visual, verbal, direct, or indirect, based on the user’s learning needs and level of support.

When the device is charged consistently, communication is available when it is needed. Teaching the skill of charging the device helps support the reliability of the device and promotes overall independence.   

Model the Skill 

When the battery is low and/or at the end of each day, practice showing the user how and where to charge the battery.  

• Establish a “charging station” at home or in the classroom where the device is kept while charging.
• When the device is low on battery, draw the user’s attention to the icon that tells the user the battery is low.
• Show the user where the power cord is kept, and how to plug charger into the device.

Use Visuals

Use pictures to help support teaching the skill of charging the device.

• Create a sequential visual with the steps of charging the device (locating the charger, plugging it in, confirming it is charging).
• Use visuals to help the user understand when the battery is low, full, or charging.
• Create a visual schedule and include plugging in the device at the end of the day.

Practice With Natural Opportunities

Incorporate charging the QuickTalker Freestyle into your daily routine.

• Make a habit of checking the battery icon on the screen during the day. Morning routines, lunch time, and school pick-up are great times to practice!
• Some speech apps have a spot with a battery life icon in the app. If your app has this, show the user the navigation pathway to check the battery.
• Set reminders: use timers and routines to prompt when the device should be charged at regularly scheduled intervals.

In most AAC applications, there is an area at the top of the screen known as the message bar or speech display bar. When buttons are selected, the corresponding words appear in this area, allowing users to build sentences and create messages. 

It’s important to teach individuals how to use the clear function of the message bar as this skill supports language development and helps prevent communication breakdowns by ensuring messages are accurate and intentional. 

Model the Skill

Show the user how to clear the message bar in different situations. When they first receive their device, an AAC user tends to babble by pushing many buttons or playing long strings of words. Model clearing the long strings away by trying the following.

• Produce a message on the device, after selecting the message bar to speak. After speaking the whole message, model clearing the message bar. 
• Model both clearing one button at a time and clearing the whole message bar at once. 
• Model clearing the message bar after each full message for repeated opportunities.  

Use Visuals

Create pictures or images to help users remember how to clear the message bar.

• Create a step-by-step visual guide showing how to clear the message bar.
• Use a “First, Then” visual for speaking the whole message, and then clearing the message bar.
• Use visuals to help the user navigate multiple ways of clearing a word or the entire bar.

Extra Tips

• If your communication app has an auto-clear setting, explore this with the team to determine if it supports a user’s communication needs.
• Teach all communication partners how to clear the message bar and practice modeling it across communication partners.

Some communicators enjoy listening back to a long string of words in the message bar. This can be a way for the user to explore language, called babbling, but it can be distracting in a classroom or more structured setting. Teaching pragmatics can help with this:  

1. Teach times to talk versus times to listen: Instead, we can use tools such as visuals to help the communicator distinguish between ‘times to talk’ and ‘times to listen’.  
2. Model ways to quickly silence the device: Some apps have a quick way to silence a long utterance by pressing or holding a clear button. Explore your specific app and model doing this at times when it is not appropriate to be talking.   

Teaching raising and lowering the volume can be a powerful tool for an AAC user, but some AAC users may enjoy using a loud volume even when it may not be an appropriate time.

• Teach users the appropriate times to use loud volumes vs. quiet volumes.
• Use visuals to show the user when it is a good time to be loud vs. quiet.
• Reinforce listening time vs. talking time within structured activities.
• As a team, agree upon a “loud” volume parameter.

As much as we would love for the device to be charged and have a full battery at all times, life, technology, environmental, and personal challenges can get in the way.

• Create a charging station in the user’s main environment (e.g., school or home) so the device has a consistent spot to charge when the battery is low.
• Always carry a copy of a low tech communication board or book so that the user has access to communication when the device is charging.

During learning, users may swing, drop, or throw their device. This can be out of frustration, but it can also be a way of fidgeting and playing.

At AbleNet, you don’t have to worry about the device being damaged because we have our no questions asked warranty! However, here are some tips:

• Consult with the team about the safest transportation method (e.g., a strap, handle, bag).
• Practice walking routines with the device and use positive praise or a token system when the student safely carries the device.
• Use visuals or read a social story about safely transporting the device.