Blink Twice debuts Tango! handheld communication device

Here's a unique one. A company named Blink Twice is busting out an interesting new handheld device called Tango! which does the "AAC" thing (Augmentative and Alternative Communication -- new one on us) to help kids learn English, or for those that are hearing or speech impaired, allowing for the easy creation of sentences. You can use predetermined phrases by punching through a few sub-categories, or make your own with the device's intuitive interface. The Tango! also allows the creation of your own items; the built-in camera can capture a new image to serve as an icon, and then an adult can record the correct phrase for the item, even with a simulated child's voice. The device can expand its functionality via USB, CompactFlash, and SD, with the option to use a keyboard, or even work over a cellphone down the line. Sadly the unit runs for a steep $6899, but hopefully Blink Twice can get some quantity orders in and cut that down a bit.

[Via Axistive]

[Ned @ Mar 26th 2006 10:49AM]

FIRST COMMENT!!!!!!!!!AHAHAHAHAHHAHHAH

[agent lead @ Mar 26th 2006 10:58AM]

wtf @ $7000


is that price correct??

[James @ Mar 26th 2006 11:10AM]

perhaps someone could tell me something ... is this not a useless device?

[Jessie @ May 2nd 2008 10:49AM]

It isn't a useless device when you child can't talk!

[Mikey @ Mar 26th 2006 11:24AM]

I believe there are 2 main reason s for the high price.
1) Insurance companies don't always pay the full amount.
2) There is not a huge demand. It is for disabled individuals and not your everyday toy.

It is also very useful for autistic kids who are perfectly capable of understanding what people say and using programs like the one on the tango, but are not capable of talking. I have worked with kids like this in the past, but they had a lot of bulky equipment. Having this neat and compact design is a great improvement.

[Shelly Tistan @ Jul 16th 2007 10:56AM]

Judges: School Held Autistic Student 'Hostage'

From the Naperville Sun.
http://www.wbbm780. com/pages/ 685075.php? contentType= 4&contentId=692177

Naperville , Ill. - Two judges have said Naperville School District 203
held an autistic student "hostage" to "blackmail" his parents into agreeing
to its plans for his education.
Killian Hynes, a nonverbal, autistic 6-year-old Naperville boy,
communicates using a device known as a Tango. It's as important to Killian
as a wheelchair to a child with a physical disability, said his father,
Kevin Hynes, 43.
That's why the Hyneses took legal action when Naperville School
District 203 withheld Killian's communication device.
"I know my rights, and I know my son's rights," said Kevin, a lawyer,
as is his wife, Beth, 44.
Judges who recently ruled on the case had harsh words for District
203. Federal Judge Milton Shadur asked District 203 the same question posed
to notorious U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy in 1954: "Have you no shame?"
The Tango was an agreed-upon provision in Killian's individual
education plan with District 203.
The 6-year-old was bored and regressing at Summitt School Early
Learning Center in Elgin , Kevin said. So they made arrangements to send him
to a more expensive but more technologically advanced Carol Stream program.
District 203 administrators agreed Killian wasn't getting what he
needed at Summit but expressed concerns about the costs of the Carol Stream
program.
Then when Killian's summer IEP was set to begin, District 203
administrators told him he couldn't have his Tango.
District 203's legal counsel, Laura Sinars, indicated the only way the
district would provide Killian the device was if the Hyneses agreed to send
him to a program the district preferred.
"That's coercion," Kevin said.
Judges agreed.
Shadur said, "The undisputed picture here is regrettably one of the
defendants holding, I guess, a 6-year-old autistic boy hostage," Shadur
said, sending the case to DuPage County Circuit Court for trial. There,
Judge Bonnie Wheaton ruled District 203 was to immediately provide the
Tango.

[Hank Cazorp @ Mar 26th 2006 11:29AM]

Absurd. You could probably pack the entire feature set into a $130 Nintendo DS. Of course, you can't bill a Nintendo DS to Medicaid. (Check the links on funding.) Let's hope they get NO orders.

[rex @ Mar 26th 2006 11:33AM]

Indeed this is a nice way to go for disabled people to be able to "talk" to other people. I like the idea and maybe it will catch on with other companies that will create their own product with a much more affordable asking price.

[Todd @ Mar 26th 2006 12:08PM]

As the parent of a highly functional but not verbal (yet) autistic child I think this is a great device. As others pointed out, the price point has more to do with with the device's very limited audience and reimbursement issues rather than anything else.

If it was 1/10th the price I'd buy it for my son in a minute and save the the taxpayers(myself included) a bunch of money. There's got to be a better way....

[Jarmayn @ Mar 26th 2006 1:11PM]

NUTS - Wow that�s just great, whos gonna buy that� and that predictive text or whatever is no good to begin with.. I never seen a phone more than like 1300$ let alone 7000$ whats so especial about this� and it doesn�t even have a qwerty keyboard� is this like a decimal mistake or something.. trash this lol FREE HTC UNIVERSAL @ www.e-fuze.com

[RohitK @ Mar 26th 2006 1:14PM]

Dear God... I had to 'blink twice' just to believe that price tag! That's one expensive, umm, toy? Not really. Either you're uber rich or you're really in the mood to help some kids out. Either way, I STILL believe Engadget's goofed up on the price. Well, they do make a lotta typos, right guys?

[Joe Hatfield @ Mar 26th 2006 1:23PM]

Based on information from the company website, $6,899 does appear to be the correct price. It's also clear that the company expects the funding for the device to come from Medicare, Medicaid, or private insurance, not from your Visa card.

[Alex Crouzen @ Mar 26th 2006 1:40PM]

Here's something an ex-colleague has worked on for years for his own daughter. It's O/S and looks like a decent replacement for this overly expensive piece of kit.

http://www.pvoice.org/

[John Stracke @ Mar 26th 2006 1:54PM]

I understand the price tag (think of it as a medical device), but wouldn't it make more sense to do it in software? A Tablet PC plus a specialized buttonbar would do everything this does.

[Gwen @ Mar 26th 2006 2:42PM]

These kinds of devices already exist--lots of people with disabilities impairing their ability to speak use them. They are very expensive, and this price is par for the course. This is a communication tool for, say, a person with severe cerebral palsy, who already has a $25K wheelchair, round-the-clock nursing care, etc. It is expensive to have a disability.

These devices need to be rock-stable, and very quick. They need to work perfectly if rain is pouring on them. They need to work even though users have poor motor control and might be banging, hard, on the buttons day after day after day. They need to last for years. (This is a person's voice, after all, and it can take a very long time to learn to use it well, for children especially).

For the user who made the comment about "I'm not going to buy this for my kid, I only spend $10 times their age for Christmas gifts!" or whatever ... this is not a toy! This is not for some kid to play around with and then throw away! This is someone's _voice_. How much is YOUR voice worth to you?

[mike smith @ Mar 26th 2006 3:38PM]

this device is for helping people that have communicaton affecting disorders speak. it literally gives them a voice; thats a pretty bid deal. think of steven hawking with his voice synthizer. this does that, but its made ultra portable, and dosen't requre a steep learning period. there ARE software packages that run on tablet PCs that are ok, but what if the tablet gets knocked off the tabletop. what if you want to use it outside, that a pretty basic need. this thing works in sunlight too. and has a voice that is understandable in a noisy environment if needed. the price is high because the volumes of these devices are VERY low. other similar devices (often not portable) can have similar costs. you can't compare this to a cell phone.

[DM @ Mar 26th 2006 7:34PM]

The price is correct. All of the assitive devices are priced around the $5K to $6K mark.

Why, you might ask? Well, its a bit of a scam.

Theres a subsidy of $5-6K available from medicare/medicaid.

That subsidy is only available to devices that are dedicated to assistive communications purposes.

So while you can run off to taiwan and buy the guts of a PDA for a few hundred dollars, if you put it into a nicely designed case, and prevent it from running anything but your own assitive communications software, the government will pay you $5000 to sell it to the parents of disabled kids.

Theres plenty of very smart people making very usefull software for assistive communications, but the way to make bucks is to make dedicated hardware.

[Assistive Tech Occupational Therapist @ Mar 27th 2006 1:21PM]

Alas, so many people that have no idea what they are talking about.

First off, the R&D that goes into these things is phenomenal. From the hardware, the symbol sets (the graphical pictures used to depict what the individual wants to say), and the voice technology, these things are expensive as heck to develop. Many of you want to compare the cost of something like this to an Xbox or Playstation, but you must remember that products like an XBOX are produced for for an exponentially larger audience. M$ sold an estimated 1mill Xbox 360s by the end of 2005 ( http://www.guampdn.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20060201/LIFESTYLE/602010331/1024). They may, or may not make money on the front end sale of the machines because they also make much more money on games sales and licensing agreements with 3PDs. Now, consider what the cost for a developing and manufacturing an Xbox 360 would be if you were creating it for only a few thousand people! Oh, and forget about your after market sales generating revenue... your profit needs to be bundled into the front end sale. Oh, and also calculate in long term support costs. Oh, and don�t forget that when you develop the device, that kids with disabilities are not exactly gentle with electronic equipment, so the device better be DANG durable (a PSP wouldn�t last 60 seconds with some kiddos).

And if some of you still want to mistakenly believe that the CEO, Richard Ellenson is just out to make a buck, think again. He�s a father of a boy with Cerebral Palsy, and he is passionate about helping kids with disabilities ( http://www.susanohanian.org/show_special_news.html?id=93 ).

[GaryT @ Mar 27th 2006 1:33PM]

I agree with MaxSMoke and others complaining about the price, but I think DM was trying to be sarcastic.

[DM @ Mar 28th 2006 12:36PM]

The subsidy has created a whole industry around building assitive communications devices (AAC) for children. Thats a great thing for those children.

The problem is that the subsidy is structured to severely limit the kinds of devices it covers, effectively controlling the form and utility of those devices. For example, a devices which also functioned as a TV or as a laptop or cellphone, would not be covered (as I understand it).

The subsidy has also artificially created a price point of $6-7K for assistive devices. There are companies that make very effective AAC software that can run on everydray or rugged multifunctional PDAs, but they arent elligible for the subsidy. Those companies tend to be ought out by the companies selling dedicated hardware, if only because they are competitors selling a cheaper product, but making less money because they arent subsidised.

In the end, the great leaps forward in assitive communications arent going to come from better boxes, but from better software.

Better boxes might just be a transitional phase, but until the subsidy covers software, all the innovation will tend to be in the packaging.

Characterising the subsidy thing a scam was probably too strong a term. Clearly it has value, but I believe the form of the subsidy is misdirecting resources.

[Sloan @ May 30th 2007 2:52PM]

What you're talking about only happens in the US as the government demands that devices be single purpose. Companies that do have communication software running on anything resembling a commericial platform sell locked and unlocked versions. So Medi whatever pays for the locked version and the consumer then pays, with private funds, to have it unlocked. As I noted somewhere else, commercial hardware doesn't hold up to the needs of augmented communicators.

[Assistive Tech Occupational Therapist @ Mar 29th 2006 6:25PM]

DM, not sure where you are getting some of your information, such as Medicare funding artificially creating an inflated price point. If you are correct that it has over inflated hardware costs, than I�m sure the same would occur for software costs. Again, the R&D and support costs for AAC manufacturers can be quite high, especially since the customer base is not as great as for mainstream electronics.

There are, however, a few things to remember:

1. Every person�s needs are different, and there is no one communication device that would meet everyone�s needs. PDAs may be good for a few individuals, but in my experience of actually evaluating both adults and children for AAC devices, very rarely is a PDA type AAC device a good choice. There are a variety of reasons for this, including the charging requirements of PDAs, the inability to mount a PDA effectively on wheelchairs, too small of a surface area (especially for someone with ataxia) for effective device interaction, etc, etc.

2. Having a device be dedicated to communication only, is not necessarily a bad thing. If an AAC device is just software loaded onto a laptop/tablet computer, with the other aspects of the operating system still available, than you greatly increase the risk of the device crashing, and not being available when the persons needs it to communicate. That is, if the user can surf the internet, email, install games, and other programs, than the chance of that machine becoming unusable because of the ancillary usage is quite high. The person that needs an AAC device needs it to be able to communicate, including information related to physical well being and potential medical emergencies.

3. AAC devices tend to be very rugged. I personally had a client for which we recommended a ruggedized, military grade tablet computer, with AAC software installed aftermarket. The device was installed on his wheelchair (he wasn�t able to hold the device because of his disability). In the end, the device barely lasted 3 years, with a good amount of that time being spent with the item in for repairs. Had the AAC device been from an actual AAC vendor (such as Prentke Romich), than the user might have received a loaner items and still been able to communicate while his device was in for repairs. The lesson: if the military really wants to test something for endurance it should give that item to someone with cerebral palsy.

4. Medicare does specify that a devices needs to be a dedicated device, as that is what meets its definition for Durable Medical Equipment, but it is not the only source of funding. Medicaid can also cover AAC devices, with sometimes less stringent requirements (state dependent).

5. The hardware/software debate is a tricky one. Hardware IS especially important because the typical AAC user needs something that has at least an 8 hour battery life, will not suffer a loss of data should the battery run out, does not get overly hot when being used (so forget the super fast processors, which would also come with a noisy fan and extra drain on the battery), be dang sturdy, etc, etc. Also, it would be nice if more devices had a sunlight viewable screen (not many AAC devices have sunlight viewable screens) so that the user can still communicate when outside. The Tango is supposed to have such a screen.

In the end, the intricacies of this debate are much more complex than would first seem apparent. It is not simple matter of big bad businesses milking systems and creating a drain on the American healthcare system. These companies are, as a whole, passionate about making a difference for people with disabilities. In fact, some of them actually employee AAC users within their business, which in the end HELPS in the whole debate over the milking of systems (by providing gainful employment to people that might otherwise have trouble finding work).

[DM @ Mar 31st 2006 12:55AM]

Hello ATOT,

Not sure if youre still reading this, but Id like to respond to your points.

First, you are right that I am saying the subsidy has artificially inflated hardware costs, but more than that, it has skewed the market towards dedicated hardware, and dedicated hardware of a certain form at that. I understand that R&D and support costs can be quite high, but not necessarily so. Certainly, the price of the device has nothing to do with the cost of R&D and much more to do with the amount of subsidy.

1. Every AAC users needs are different. For there to be a rich ecology of machines on the market is a good thing. For some people, a rugged PDA would be a workable solution, thought it wouldnt be subsided unless it was a dedicated device. There are manufacturers in Asia that have PDA internals ready to go, at a bulk cost of a few hundred dollars a unit. All thats required it to drop them into a specially designed case. Not too much R&D there. I tend to agree that surface area is important, but there are PDAs with a variety of screen sizes. It would be interesting to know what the rationalle for Tango's small screen was.

2. Having the AAC device have more than one function would be a boon for users of AAC devices. Even something as simple as enabling it to act as a cellphone would be great. Its a communications device.

3. Youre right that AAC devices need to be very rugged. But I have looked closesly at the devices on the amrket, and they dont look to me to be designed to be any more rugged than military devices. In some ways, the seem quite flimsy to me. Again, this is mostly a matter of the design of a casing. Not exactly revolutionary R&D.

4. Dedicated device. Must only do one thing. Legislating the form of the device. Nuff said.

5. Hardware is the easiest thing for a lay person to understand, hence the emphasis on it. Is it better to have better hardware or better predictive input? By building better boxes, how much better can you make the life of an AAC user compared to building better software? What about AAC devices that dont look anything like PDAs? Im thinking of voice enhancement systems, or multi-modal systems that bring together gestural and speech recognition, etc etc. I dont see to much thinking outside the box in this field.

Being passionate and well-meaning is a necessary, but not sufficient, condition for bringing about positive change.

[Jon Daley @ Apr 19th 2006 10:27PM]

Just one point of clarification. I happen to work for an AAC company, who if I mentioned their name, I would have to say all sorts of things about this is my own opinion and not theirs, blahblah, so I won't say it, though if you are interested, I probably mention it on my website.

Anyway - the dedicated device thing is a restriction placed by Medicare and Medicaid. I personally have spent a good amount of time trying to figure out a way of getting around that restriction because presumably some percentage of users would want an open device, but we basically have to lock it down, or else the device can't be funded, and then Sally user would have to pay for it herself. I would rather have her insurance pay for it so that she can have a voice than not be able to afford a device and not speak.

As for the cellphone market - try talking to Nokia or whoever to get them to get their product accessible - or else try to reverse engineer it yourself, and be obsolete in a week. Do you (DM) have any suggestions on how to go about getting that to work?

Please post your "Asian manufacturers ready to drop PDA internals", etc. what sort of hardware is it, and how fast is the processor? What sort of speech recognition do you think you are going to do on a Palm Pilot? Okay, now playback pre-recorded speech, of course, decoding mp3s, to save room, since there is only a 16 meg flash chip in it... Get my drift?

[Steven Swenerton @ Jul 28th 2006 9:04PM]

7K for an augmentative communication device is a little bit on the high end for devices that require stored speech. Usually, that price but reserved for devices that are fully generative (a disabled user can build unique phrase without outside assistance). But yeah, not many units are sold when compared to consumer electronics so the economics of scale do not apply. Its not a scam, it is just how things are in the rehabilitation world.

[AAC User @ Aug 1st 2006 10:14PM]

This unit is a joke! No one who is really in need would even be able to work it properly and effeciently.
This box is the real deal. Sure its not as pretty. But functionality, when you cant speak a word, is really the main priority.. Right?
http://www.dynavoxsystems.com/Default.aspx?tabid=35

[Kendra @ Aug 2nd 2006 10:02AM]

My daughter had a dynavox system and I personally thought it was crap. Some things it didn't even pronounce properly. My daughter is very dependent on her device and I personally will give this one a look at. Her Dynamite cost 6,000 so what is the difference. Personally, I think that you can not put a price on a child's only way to communicate!!!

Some people are very simple minded!!!

Don't post if you know nothing about children who need an augmentative device to communicate in this world!!!!

[AAC Speech Therapist @ Aug 2nd 2006 12:38PM]

Kendra, I've gotten good at tricking the voice output on the Dynavox and Enkidu devices to pronounce and even inflect things correctly. Usually this involves being creative with spelling and using superfluous commas and question marks. Try it.

This device certainly isn't "a joke." If it responds faster than the Dynavox 4's then it's already worth checking out. (Although I see that it runs on WindowsCE so it might not be.) It has less screen real estate but supposedly it compensates for that by being smarter about context.

Another hidden cost on these devices is getting a specialist to set it up. If it really is as easy to set up as it says it is then the client is spending less money having an SLP or OT programming it. At Usual and Customary rates, just shifting a Dynavox into and out of edit mode once costs the client's insurance about $.50 (it's slow and I'm expensive).

Yes, you can get a commodity tablet PC or palmtop that would run a similar feature set but there are many reasons why that is suboptimal. They do exist, and I've worked with them (a modified iPaq, and an off-the-shelf ThinkPad). However, saving a couple thousand dollars for a device that doesn't meet the client's needs is a bigger waste of medical care money.

I hope that this article starts a trend of gadget review websites featuring medical/rehab devices. There is some very clever hardware and software engineering going on and I'd think that gadget geeks would be a little more interested and less dismissive.

[aac speech therapist @ Jan 31st 2007 5:05PM]

Everyone goes into business to make money. Including the ceo of this device. You techies out there, go for it! Do your research and develop more of these devices and make HUGE profits! We need more of them out there and the more there are, the lower the price will probably become, due to competition. You will need bucks though to do your research properly and get started. Ellenson (ceo of tango) put in tons of his own $ to develop this thing. But, if successful, he'll be making millions. Don't just sit there and read blogs, develop devices like this!

[Kelly Meyer @ Feb 19th 2007 3:18PM]

For those of you who are balking at the price of this so called "toy"... Have you actually had your hands on this equipment?

My first question to you would be how much would you be willing to pay to give your Autistic child a "voice"? Let's pretend that your child uses biting, hitting, kicking and screaming to get his point across because he cannot find the words that he needs. How much would it be worth to find something... anything that would help your child to "talk" instead of act out like a 2 year old having a tantrum.

My child is 11 years old and although he is somewhat verbal, he often cannot find the words that he needs and he does not process auditory language.

This peice of equipment offers my child the visual and verbal support that he so desperately needs to be able to communicate effectively.

If the Tango can help my child to learn to communicate more effectively and it comes at a price tag of $7000.00 and he stops being a threat to those around him, isn't it money well spent? Medicaid has paid for very few of the medical needs of my child, so if they are going to foot the bill for this one, I am going to go for it.

Kelly

[Sloan @ May 30th 2007 10:45AM]

This is a general reply not to Kelly

I have been involved with augmentative and alternative communication in Canada for the past 25 years and I am both surprised and appalled by many of the comments on this blog. I am surprised at how little about the field has percolated into the general public's awareness despite the verry visible presence of Stephen Hawking in the mass media. I am appalled at the cynicism and dowright ignorance displayed regarding the issues of effective communication and cost. The tango! allows a child to talk, to say anything a child needs to say by pushing from two to six keys. I challenge anyone on this blog to take any portable device and program it so it will say anything they want to say, in all circumstances, carry it around for a month using only it to communicate and then talk about feature sets, hardware and cost. It's not the plastic you're paying for, it's the communication "package". As an aside a number of manufacturers have taken an approach which uses communication software on a commercial product such as a handheld or palmtop, my experience is that they just don't hold up, they're not "playground capable". And yes you would want to give the device to a very young child; when does a kid begin to talk?

[Sloan @ May 30th 2007 10:55AM]

And to those who've muttered about medicare scams or whatever; it's the market that defines the cost. The cost 25 years ago, way way before any government agencies were involved was the same (or more) allowing for inflation. I wish people would think first, you start up a company, you develop a sophisticated device, software and hardware, that allows people to talk and you've got a market that numbers in the thousands what are you going to sell the product for?

[Sloan @ May 30th 2007 2:53PM]

For God's sake what's the cost of developing a language retrieval system and then the hardware to run it on. And of course you'd give it to a child when did you start to speak at 19?

[Shelly Tistan @ Jul 16th 2007 10:14AM]

Judges: School Held Autistic Student 'Hostage'

From the Naperville Sun.
http://www.wbbm780. com/pages/ 685075.php? contentType= 4&contentId=692177

Naperville , Ill. - Two judges have said Naperville School District 203
held an autistic student "hostage" to "blackmail" his parents into agreeing
to its plans for his education.
Killian Hynes, a nonverbal, autistic 6-year-old Naperville boy,
communicates using a device known as a Tango. It's as important to Killian
as a wheelchair to a child with a physical disability, said his father,
Kevin Hynes, 43.
That's why the Hyneses took legal action when Naperville School
District 203 withheld Killian's communication device.
"I know my rights, and I know my son's rights," said Kevin, a lawyer,
as is his wife, Beth, 44.
Judges who recently ruled on the case had harsh words for District
203. Federal Judge Milton Shadur asked District 203 the same question posed
to notorious U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy in 1954: "Have you no shame?"
The Tango was an agreed-upon provision in Killian's individual
education plan with District 203.
The 6-year-old was bored and regressing at Summitt School Early
Learning Center in Elgin , Kevin said. So they made arrangements to send him
to a more expensive but more technologically advanced Carol Stream program.
District 203 administrators agreed Killian wasn't getting what he
needed at Summit but expressed concerns about the costs of the Carol Stream
program.
Then when Killian's summer IEP was set to begin, District 203
administrators told him he couldn't have his Tango.
District 203's legal counsel, Laura Sinars, indicated the only way the
district would provide Killian the device was if the Hyneses agreed to send
him to a program the district preferred.
"That's coercion," Kevin said.
Judges agreed.
Shadur said, "The undisputed picture here is regrettably one of the
defendants holding, I guess, a 6-year-old autistic boy hostage," Shadur
said, sending the case to DuPage County Circuit Court for trial. There,
Judge Bonnie Wheaton ruled District 203 was to immediately provide the
Tango.

[Shelly Tistan @ Jul 16th 2007 10:55AM]

Judges: School Held Autistic Student 'Hostage'

From the Naperville Sun.
http://www.wbbm780. com/pages/ 685075.php? contentType= 4&contentId=692177

Naperville , Ill. - Two judges have said Naperville School District 203
held an autistic student "hostage" to "blackmail" his parents into agreeing
to its plans for his education.
Killian Hynes, a nonverbal, autistic 6-year-old Naperville boy,
communicates using a device known as a Tango. It's as important to Killian
as a wheelchair to a child with a physical disability, said his father,
Kevin Hynes, 43.
That's why the Hyneses took legal action when Naperville School
District 203 withheld Killian's communication device.
"I know my rights, and I know my son's rights," said Kevin, a lawyer,
as is his wife, Beth, 44.
Judges who recently ruled on the case had harsh words for District
203. Federal Judge Milton Shadur asked District 203 the same question posed
to notorious U.S. Sen. Joseph McCarthy in 1954: "Have you no shame?"
The Tango was an agreed-upon provision in Killian's individual
education plan with District 203.
The 6-year-old was bored and regressing at Summitt School Early
Learning Center in Elgin , Kevin said. So they made arrangements to send him
to a more expensive but more technologically advanced Carol Stream program.
District 203 administrators agreed Killian wasn't getting what he
needed at Summit but expressed concerns about the costs of the Carol Stream
program.
Then when Killian's summer IEP was set to begin, District 203
administrators told him he couldn't have his Tango.
District 203's legal counsel, Laura Sinars, indicated the only way the
district would provide Killian the device was if the Hyneses agreed to send
him to a program the district preferred.
"That's coercion," Kevin said.
Judges agreed.
Shadur said, "The undisputed picture here is regrettably one of the
defendants holding, I guess, a 6-year-old autistic boy hostage," Shadur
said, sending the case to DuPage County Circuit Court for trial. There,
Judge Bonnie Wheaton ruled District 203 was to immediately provide the
Tango.

[Goodasitgets @ Oct 5th 2007 2:04PM]

It is true that most augmentative communication options are painful to families, especially those that have to pay the cost out of pocket or struggle to jump through the hoops to get their private health insurance to pay even a portion of it. The TANGO is price compatibale with the Dynavox MT4 (which has been discontinued and replace by the Dynavox series 5 models). The TANGO has many impressive features and while it may n ot be as flexible for creatinf every expressive statement one may ever want to make, it has A LOT of phrases built in and capability of adding and individualizing phrases. For ch ildren on the Autism spectrum who are non-verbal but literate as is my son this is a very good option. He currently uses Signed E xact English to read and communicate and writes very sloppily in complete sentences but wont transfer that skill to the tedious task of typing out letter by letter or word by word onto a keyboard or device for communication. A phrase based s ystem allows for greater ease in communicating and encourages more frequent reciprocal communication. This is a child friendly device and is about half the weight of the Dynavox MT4 (which we chose not to purchase partly because of it being too heavy for my son to carry around all day). The digitized voice is the best thing around. We are also considering the Cyrano Communicator that is based on an HP PDA. Its cost is much less at $1200 because it is based upon hardwarde existing for another market. While my son can navigate a PDA I am not sure this is the going to be as child friendly a device as the TANGO. I do like its light weight at less thatn 6 ounces and how natural it looks to carry one. It is also phrase based and has a built in camera and several speaker options as add ons, plus a wireless keyboard as an add on. My child has language skills being able to build sentences, and read, but has exceptionally difficult challenges with output due to Autism with coexisting Apraxia. We so have the blessign of about 16 spoken words with none two years ago. Bottom line is if a device will give my child his voice and increase his independence I will pay whatever it costs to make his life better.

[Goodasitgets @ Oct 5th 2007 2:11PM]

Using the variety of staements that come on the TANGO would be a huge jump in expressive communciaiton for my child. There is alot of room for growth with this device in our circumstance.

[Beth @ Dec 12th 2007 3:20AM]

I have a 5 year old son with Cerebral Palsy who is completely non-verbal. I would give anything to hear what he has to say and know what he is thinking. He is very intelligent but his physical disabilities are so severe he cannot use most typical communication devices because he does not have the hand control necessary to manipulate the device. We have tried using his foot as well, but still haven't had much luck. Most devices are way too big, cumbersome, slow, frustrating, and difficult to manipulate, in addition to not aiding true two-way dialogue. I would love to know if anyone else who has very limited motor capabilities has had success with this device.

[Jackie @ Aug 9th 2008 9:31PM]

My 3 year old daughter has severe CP and is mostly non verbal. We introduced the TANGO! to her 3 weeks ago and she has started to navigate the device in this short amount of time. She has very limited motor skills in her upper body and is able to press the screen and work through the device screens. The device captivates her and she has already learned that she can control her envoirnment through this device. I'd recommend it in a heart beat. Price tag is as steep as other comparable products in the category. For us, as parents, we were sold on the natural voice as well as the ability to upload pictures and voice over with our own voices, more options for her. Giev it a try. You can get a 2 week loaner, most insurance companies will pay for it, otherwise is $200 with the cost of the rental being applied to the purchase price. Its definitely worth the effort to try it out.

[Leah @ Sep 14th 2008 9:56PM]

I have a Tango and I've found it difficult to use. I don't find it intuitive to use or easy to find phrases. Maybe I am not as technically savy as some kids, but I do not find this thing fast or easy. It is however, cute...relatively small with a built-in camera. And it has been marketed out the wazoo. If you are considering it, please insist on a trial period. This is probably best for any device which will be your "voice".

[Kerry @ Jan 27th 2009 6:11PM]

Three years late, but I still feel the need to reply. :D

My daughter is six years old, she has severe CP that effects her entire body, she is in a wheel chair and can only communicate verbally through yes and no.

Not sure how well you can talk, but try going the next week with only saying yes and no. If you want something...you will have no way of letting anyone know. If you are thirsty, hungry, uncomfortable in any way...you have no way of telling anyone. BUT - if you are lucky enough to have someone see you and they realize you need something...they go through a set of questions and all you can reply with is yes and no. Do this for a week and then decide again if $6,000 is to much. For some people that these communication devices are for, they can not even say as much as yes and no. My daughter is one of the lucky ones.

We've only been using the Tango for a month, but so far it's been great. She uses head switches that are mounted off her head rest, and the computer is mounted in front of her, the small size if it is nice as she can still see around it and people can still see her when they talk with her.

Personally, I'd pay double the price. I'd sell my car and take the bus everywhere if it meant my daughter could play Candy Land with me (her favorite game now) or tell me goodnight and that she loves me.