Communicate

[Lolastar]

When your symptoms affect your speech what apps or other resources do you use to help you communicate?

[Lolastar]

I have an Android. I have speech to text but haven't found text to speech but I will look. Thank you

[SheriAUS]

I am ironically a speech pathologist and person with FND. I have varying strategies according to the present breakdown, and trying to understand and moderate triggers (in particularly noisy environments and use of noise cancelling headphones). So if it’s just stutters and slurs, I may take breath, consciously slow down; sometimes helps. Getting worse will be my tics and spasms. I may be have laryngeal or diphramatic spasms, causing no voice to come out. Easiest options are mouthing the words or pointing/gesturing. If it is a longer or more complex message, such as setting up next health appointments, I may just use notes on my phone, typing the message and handing my phone over. Sometimes, say if I am having to introduce myself in a workshop I might use an app like Co:pilot. There are many more complex apps available with different levels of sophistication. Again ironically, I had my most severe flare at a conference for augmentative communication and I got to try out different devices. When in my worse state, I also am affected cognitively, so holding onto my thoughts long enough to type was hard, so I preferred a complex system where pressing two or three icons could cover many words (like a different language with pictures) - these are expensive complex systems. I also found that my arm was spasming a lot so even moving my hand steedily for typing was difficult... On it’s most extreme, such as people with ALS/MND are eye gaze systems. But despite knowing all the high tech options, I find the simplest the best - mouth, gesture/point, write...

[Paddoodlz]

My speech pathologist suggested Speech Assistant. It is wonderful! It costs $10 that is all. Works great.

[Lolastar]

Just tried speech to text...takes over my whole phone and I need learn the whole program. I have an emergency note I have texted for strangers and doctors in case I have an episode or a full noneplicate FND seizure . Last time I was in an episode my whole body was in tremor and spasm and my jaw was spasm locked. I was unable to answer any questions. I tried scrolling my info to the nurse but she didn't get what was going on an I was moving so much I couldn't scroll or point or anything. I would have loved to have just pushed a button so my emergency note could have spoken all my details for me. Anything like that?