Last year, I wrote about The Middle School Phone Debate. While my son continues to go without his own phone, I know the time will be coming soon. As we get ready for this major milestone, I have been looking at apps that may help him. NHL is autistic and I recently heard about an app called Emergency chat. The premise of this app is simple. It allows someone that is unable to speak to communicate when it is needed. I decided to put it on my new Galaxy Note 5 phone to check it out.
When in need of the app, you simply press the icon above. For an individual on the spectrum, it could be when they are feeling overwhelmed and anxious. If there is too much going on, they may be afraid to talk, or unable to because they are too busy processing everything from the environment. Once they push the icon, it goes to a splash screen that you can personalize. The example that they include for Aspies is the following:
When you push the continue button, it brings you to a simple chat screen. An example of this chat is seen below. When you set up the app, you can make it automatically switch between two people that would be using the app. From the splash screen, you can also hold it down longer to bring up the settings.
The settings area allows you to personalize the message for whatever no talking emergency that may be need it for. Some additional examples are:
As soon as I put the app on my phone, I knew that I would have to go and set it up for my mother on her phone. After her heart attack in June, I worry about her being alone and unable to talk. When she had her heart attack, she could barely whisper to me while I was sitting next to her at the table. This is certainly something she could keep on the main screen of her smartphone to let people know about her heart condition.
Another item that I really like about Emergency chat is their Facebook page. There are lots of great samples and examples of splash screens and different ways to utilize the app. The possibilities are endless, but include things like blood sugar alert, PTSD, allergic reaction, and more.
I will definitely be sharing this within my autism circles and beyond because I know that Emergency chat will help many people when they may not be able to speak, but have to communicate.
Disclosure: As a member of the Verizon Lifestyle Bloggers, I receive devices like the Samsung Galaxy Note 5 to test out and share ways that I use it in my life. I am a long time Verizon customer, and all opinions are my own.
