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CBoard and LAMP Words for Life’s AAC apps have some key differences. CBoard is free and easy to get started, making it great for affordable early communication. LAMP Words for Life focuses on motor planning and offers a simplified screen, making it ideal for users who need structured communication support. In the table below, we’ll compare features like pricing, vocabulary, and ease of use to help you decide which AAC app is best for your needs.
Cboard |
LAMP Words for Life |
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|---|---|---|
| Good for Early Communication |
Requires a log-in to access, which means younger kids must rely on caregivers to access their voice.
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LAMP Word for Life is great if you want your user to only have to tap ONE time on the screen, but for younger users, the small symbol size and overwhelming vocabulary makes it difficult to start slow.
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| Affordable Pricing |
Free. But CBoard depends on charitable donations, which means the future of CBoard may not be certain.
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The app is $299.99 and only available on iPad. No trial version. You must go through a third party source for hardware, adding to the cost.
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| Easy to Get Started |
Set-up is simple (under 15 minutes). However, there is little support for customizing and learning more about its functionality. CBoard has an extensive FAQ page on their website but offers little more than that.
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Very little guidance offered to new users. Support is only offered if a Support Plan is purchased.
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| Easy Parent Modeling |
There is no apparent way to search for a word while web-based app is active.
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WordFinder™ gives users and caregivers the option of both viewing and touching the button sequence to practice the movement for motor planning.
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| Incentives to practice |
There is no attached reward system that encourages new users to learn a new way to communicate.
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While there are no supporting features like token boards to incentivize practice, LAMP Words for Life does allow users to use the app during FaceTime calls and to share messages to social media. This does make practicing AAC a bit more fun!
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| Natural voices and language availability |
CBoard offers natural voices in 33 languages.
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Offered in Spanish, English, and Hebrew. 35+ voice options are available.
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| Customer Support |
Offline support is only available on android or desktop via google chrome.
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Requires customers to purchase tier 1 or tier 2 support plans to be helped in a reasonable time frame.
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| Motor Planning |
Users can drag pictograms/symbols or folders to wherever they want by "unlocking" them. This can make it difficult for AAC users to learn where words are if they keep getting moved around.
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Yes. Lamp Words for Life aac app is heavily focused on language acquisition through motor planning and muscle memory patterns. Words do not move on the screen, and there is no scrolling.
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| Simplicity of screen |
Words and images are big and easy to find. CBoard also has scrolling. However, the movement of words when adding vocabulary can get confusing!
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LAMP Words for Life has one the most complex and overwhelming screens because users are not able to scroll or tap into folders. All words are laid out on the home screen. Once programmed, their placement will not change.
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| Affordable dedicated device option |
Goally keep the screen simple and easy to spot words and pictures. Users also have the unique ability to scroll, which keeps them from being overwhelmed by scrunched symbols.
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All dedicated devices must be bought outside of the company and mostly thousands of dollars.
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| Communication with spelling |
No- CBoard functions with symbol-based words and does not have a separate keyboard to type out words letter-by-letter.
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Offers "spell mode" so users can type out words.
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| Reminders to Practice |
There is no reminder feature or visual schedule included in CBoard.
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There are no integrated reminders to practice language and communication via the Words For Life app.
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| Image and Symbol Quality |
CBoard is open source, meaning there were many different contributors to its content. User can upload any images they would like, as well as record their own audio for symbols.
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Uses Minspeak symbols that don't often actually match the word it is supposed to represent. This is confusing for most users. The symbols also represent multiple words.
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| Fun Games to Build Skills |
CBoard does not provide strategies to improve finger dexterity.
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LAMP Words for Life does not include any external or accompanying games that help AAC users improve their finger dexterity.
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| Care team access |
CBoard has community board sharing and is always accessible from the web.
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LAMP Words for Life is interaction is limited to either the dedicated device or the iOS iPad that it was purchased on.
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