Choosing a communication tool is a shared process led by the communicator’s needs and preferences. A product list cannot replace understanding how the person wants to express themselves, what access methods work and where communication is breaking down. Families and professionals can support exploration without deciding in advance what the person should be able to say.
Prepare for a useful assessment or trial
Bring examples of successful communication as well as difficulties. Note the environments, languages, physical access needs and communication partners involved. Explain what happens when the usual method is unavailable. An AAC professional can help consider a range of systems and ways to access them. Ask how the trial will support original messages, not just test whether someone selects a requested symbol.
A practical example
A useful observation is “They can type their own question when given time, but the conversation moves on before they finish.” That suggests looking at access and partner behaviour together. It is less useful to assume the person needs simplified vocabulary because responses are slow. The tool should make space for their message rather than require them to fit someone else’s pace.
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Options to compare
Proloquo2Go. Symbol-based AAC. Check AssistiveWare’s current Apple-device compatibility and purchase options.
Proloquo2Go product information →
Proloquo4Text. Text-based AAC. Check the publisher’s supported devices, voices and purchase options before choosing.
Proloquo4Text product information →
These options illustrate different jobs, not a ranking or a claim that we have clinically tested them. Product information was checked on 3 October 2026; verify the current listing before purchasing.
Try it in your own setting
Agree who will support setup, maintenance and learning, and how preferences will be recorded. Keep communication available during training and changes. Ask how data and custom vocabulary can be backed up or moved. When a trial ends, discuss the user’s experience as well as any assessment measures. A system that meets an administrative target but is not accessible in daily life needs reconsideration.
Explore the related practical guide →
Questions to take to the appointment
Ask how the system will support new vocabulary, more than one setting and the languages used at home. Discuss what training is available for communication partners and how repairs or replacement devices are handled. Ask who can edit vocabulary and whether the communicator can restore an accidentally changed layout. Write down unanswered questions so the choice is not driven only by what can be demonstrated in one appointment.
Frequently asked questions
Bring examples of successful communication and difficulties, plus the settings, languages and access needs involved. The communicator’s preferences should guide the trial.
Agree who will support setup, maintenance and learning, and how preferences will be recorded.