fwfdan

We have a close family member who has had a stroke and the speech therapist suggested we get them a tablet to load speech therapy apps on to... I have a feeling it will not only be used for that, but that will be the primary purpose.

We are looking for suggestions for an affordable tablet that might a good candidate that we can give buy for them.

chgoeditor

I'm sorry to hear about your family member. I don't have any specific brand suggestions, but if the individual's manual dexterity has been compromised, it may be best to take a few on test drives to ensure that power and volume buttons present any issues. (Or, talk to the OT/PT professionals to see if they have any specific recommendations or ways to possibly modify the tablet. For example, an adhesive bumper on certain buttons might make them easier to press/slide.)

wrp96

You also want to check and see whether the recommend apps are available for that specific tablet.

fwfdan

Thanks on advice, the buttons and use of it from the OT people is a good idea as it was speech therapist who suggested it. The manual dexterity is surprisingly good... It is for aphasia so it is things like flash cards, repeating words and that sort of thing. I just don't want to spend $500 when $150 would have been good enough.

fwfdan

That I have been checking... it looks like most are available as android and apple apps

pseudoswede

I would think your family member would benefit from a larger tablet (9-10" or even bigger), and most worthy tablets (either iOS or Android) won't be cheap, unfortunately.

runnerwallah

Did they recommend any specific flash card apps? I am actually building a primitive flash card for my Android phone for foreign language learning. I would love to see what else is out there, and recommended for this kind of situation.

emma69

If this is the primary use, then I would look to buy an older model tablet - no need to spend lots on the latest model. You probably don't need a heck of a lot of storage on it either. An older generation ipad might work well, but there are also 'lesser known brands' like Asus, Lenovo that make good products. You might also want to consider a factory refurbished tablet for more cost savings.

One thing I wouldn't skimp on is a good protective case in case it gets dropped.

fwfdan

They have not yet - but I will try to remember to post when they do...

fwfdan

Lots of brands on bestbuy.com that I have NEVER heard of!!!

Thanks everyone, got some useful info!

deubster

This. My best friend's young daughter has a congenital defect* that required her to learn and practice speech with the aid of a tablet and a few applications. Those recommended by her speech therapist run only on an iPad. There may be plenty of others for Android or other platforms, but you should check this first. You can find perfectly good used iPads (particularly earlier generations) at decent prices.

*She has a very rare condition called Cerebrocostomandibular Syndrome. This causes her jaw not to grow as her skull expands, so that after a relatively short time, she is unable to open her mouth more than a few millimeters, and the trachea begins to close off. She's had about a dozen surgeries in her 7 years of life, each time rebuilding the jaw to accommodate skull growth. With each surgery comes the attachment of a rod and screw apparatus that her parents use to daily crank her jaw forward a little bit at a time - the rods and screws are removed after a few weeks and she gets 6 month to a year and a half of reprieve until they have to do it all over again. She has always been fed through a tube to ensure she gets sufficient nutrients, though she can take food orally when her mouth will open properly. Last year she went through first grade and enjoyed it immensely. She's very bright. This year she has a tracheotomy after recent surgery, and she's bummed out that she can't go to school - she has to do her schoolwork at home. She is looking forward to October or November when the trache is removed and she can rejoin her classmates. She's a happy little girl, a joy to be around and is a living, walking miracle, since almost all the doctors are astonished she's even alive - almost no one with this disease makes it out of infancy.

Sorry to ramble on. Just someone dear to me.

Efrem

Another voice saying that the app is (or the apps are) the key. Some run on both iPad and Android, some only on one or the other, probably none that matter on anything else. Find out what the therapist recommends for apps before committing to either platform.

Second priority, if manual dexterity is an issue, is tablet size. Both families are available in a range of sizes, from "phablets" (oversized phones) up to larger than a small laptop. Larger costs more, unfortunately: partly because big screens cost more, partly because larger units generally tend to be high-end models with more features for people who aren't on tight budgets.

You can save money by getting last year's model on eBay/Craigslist/etc. or by buying a refurbished tablet. Refurbs generally come with warranties, often as long as you'd get with a brand-new unit.