PRC: Language Activity Monitoring

Language Activity Monitoring:  Data with Benefits and Fun! The Language Activity Monitoring (LAM), a data collection feature found in speech generating devices (SGDs), is a useful tool to help measure progress.    A wealth of information can be obtained from the data collected when using the LAM feature in the Vantage Lite, SpringBoard Lite, Accent1200 and Eco2.  LAM data can help determine information such as: The number of different words used within a given time period The frequency of occurrence for a given word The total number of words used within a given time period Mean length of utterance Estimated time frame for creating messages The mulitiple meanings and use of a word such as "lost" in the sentences "You lost the game." (past tense verb) verses "We are lost." (adjective) The various types of sentence structure used Please note, additional information may need to be collected to calculate certain measures. Fun with Wordle™! In addition to measuring progress, LAM data can also be used to document a memorable event or activity.  Using LAM data, individuals can take the words “spoken” at a special event such as a wedding, a trip to an amusement park, or a family reunion and create a “Wordle™” to depict their experience.   "A 'Wordle' is a toy for generating ‘word clouds’ from text that you provide. The clouds give greater prominence to words that appear more frequently in the source text. You can tweak your clouds with different fonts, layouts, and color schemes. The images you create with 'Wordle' are yours to use however you like. You can print them out or save them to the 'Wordle' gallery to share with your friends (www.wordle.net).” For instructions on importing LAM data into a spreadsheet  to create a "Wordle," click here. Kara Bidstrup, M.S., CCC-SLP Email:  keb.cons@prentrom.com Phone:  (800) 262-1984 Ext. 472 Website:  prentrom.com Kara Bidstrup, M.S., CCC-SLP, is employed by Prentke Romich Company. Disclosure:  Financial - Salary, employee for PRC Nonfinancial - Employee-owner of PRC