I am so excited to be featuring CoughDrop on the blog today! I met Brian at ASHA Schools in 2015, and I have been hooked on CoughDrop (the app!) ever since. This app is a serious game changer for AAC. The ease of use, automatic back-ups, team-based approach, and built-in data tracking are just a few of my favorite features.
Ever heard of CoughDrop? No, no, not the kind you use to combat cold symptoms. We’re talking about something better. CoughDrop is a powerful and versatile augmentative communication app.
You may be thinking, “There are tons of AAC apps out there; what makes CoughDrop so special?” Well, we’d love to share with you a little bit about why you should take a closer look at this AAC system.
CoughDrop was designed by a dad, Brian Whitmer, whose daughter is non-verbal. A programmer by trade, Brian believed there had to be a better way to help his daughter to communicate. He worked with dozens of speech-language pathologists from across the country and paired his mad computer skills with their powerful speech know-how. Together, they developed a program like no other.
So what makes CoughDrop different than any other AAC app out there?
To start, CoughDrop was built to live in the cloud — not a fluffy white one, but the internet kind. Being cloud-based means that all account information, speech boards, and preferences are saved securely outside the device, so even if that device gets lost or stolen (or eaten by a bear) the communicators’ speech boards and information are still safe and available.
And that brings up another way that CoughDrop is unique. CoughDrop is designed to be a cross-platform app which means it runs on nearly any device from an iPad to a Kindle and a Chromebook to an Android tablet. If a communicator’s iPad screen shatters, no problem; pull out your laptop or smartphone, open the program, and just keep talking.
CoughDrop was also created to support the entire AAC team, not just the communicator. This system offers free accounts to parents, teachers, and therapists who support an AAC user. The program includes a supervisor feature, which allows a teacher or SLP to follow and manage multiple communicators from their own CoughDrop dashboard. Logs, reports, and messaging built into the program let everyone involved with the AAC user stay connected and see the progress and growth that is happening every day. (Yes, that’s right! Built in data tracking! A speech therapist’s dream!)
Seriously, CoughDrop is not like any other AAC app you’ve seen.
But you don’t have to take our word for it. CoughDrop offers a two-month free trial for any new user so you can see if CoughDrop will be the right fit for your communicator. (It’s free for therapists and other team members!) Try it yourself or learn more by visiting us at www.mycoughdrop.com. We can’t wait to meet you!
(One bonus tidbit, in case you were wondering why the name CoughDrop, that one’s easy. When your voice gets a little bit hoarse, you pop in a cough drop to smooth things out and get yourself talking again. And that’s just what we want to do — help every voice be heard.)
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