The Voice, Not The Toy
The central mistake families make with Proloquo2Go is treating it like an app among apps. The second a child sees an iPad as their video player or gaming console, switching to a grid of words feels like homework.
Treat the hardware running Proloquo2Go as physical medical equipment. Turn on Guided Access, disable notifications, strip every game off that tablet, and give it a rugged case with a handle. If the device is their voice, it needs to be with them at the breakfast table, in the grocery store, and at the playground.
The Power of Core Words
Many entry-level communication boards overload on nouns: cookies, milk, ball, iPad. Proloquo2Go uses the Crescendo system, which prioritizes core vocabulary: words like go, stop, more, not, want, and help.
Those few hundred words make up the vast majority of spoken English. When a child learns the motor pattern to hit more or help, they can use those concepts in fifty different situations instead of just pointing to a picture of an apple. The learning curve is steeper upfront, but the ceiling for actual communication is exponentially higher.
How to Actually Make It Work
Speech therapists call the core practice aided language input, but it simply means talking with the device yourself. When you tell your child it is time to leave, tap go on their screen while you say the word out loud. When you spill a drink, tap uh-oh or stop.
Kids learn spoken speech because they hear adults speak it all day long. A child learning AAC needs to see adults use their symbolic language in real time, with zero pressure on the kid to perform or repeat back on command.
