Grants and Products

http://www.specialed.us/autism/assist/asst14.htm

"Big Mack": A single switch/button device available from AbleNet (1) which allows for 20 seconds of record time. Approximate cost is $89.00.
There is also a more expensive one that is around 200 dollars.

The Big Mack allows for a single recording to be played whenever the button is pressed.
The one piece of information that I cannot find about a big mack is how a person says multiple things with only storage for 20 seconds. I am beginning to think that the messages can be switched out, but I do not know this for sure. This is just from what I gathered today.

Voice Output Communication Aid (VOCA): Children can express themselves with the assistance of any visual representation mode, or visual cues placed on a "simple" voice output communication aid/device. Many children with autism are motivated to communicate by use of these devices, particularly by the auditory feedback immediately given as they use the device. Use of VOCAs have proven effective in teaching a child the cause/effect of language through activities which are stimulating to him.

http://www.ucp.org/ucp_channeldoc.cfm/1/14/86/86-86/2938
United Cerebral Palsy Website

At this website I found tips for how to get grant money. There is quite a bit of money set aside for assistive technology. I also am beginning to realize that a lot of children already have the technology but are not using it. Here are the two main points that stuck out to me as different than I had originally thought.

A trial of a recommended device is essential. If you can borrow the device for a "real-life" trial at home, school, or work, you can determine its effectiveness. There are technology resource centers that may loan equipment. Some equipment suppliers or manufacturers also make "try-before-you-buy" equipment loans.

The way in which you plan to use a device will dictate your funding options. If a device is necessary to a student's highest functioning in the least-restrictive school setting, then the school should write the need for the device into the student's IEP (Individualized Education Plan) or IFSP (Individualized Family Service Plan) and fund the device. If the device is necessary for work, your state's division of vocational rehabilitation should help. If the device is medically necessary (essential to attaining or maintaining health or to replace lost or non-functioning body parts), private insurance, Medicare, or Medicaid come into play. If a device is necessary to enable a person to live outside an institution, a different government program may be the source of funding.

(45 min)