This post was created during my first attempt at using Dragon Dictate for Mac (voice-to-text software technology)

Today I am learning to use Dragon Dictate for Mac. This is pretty darn exciting. I can see the benefits of this programming for all sorts of students and also for myself. As I get more proficient with it, I can even imagine using it for making new posts for my blog, dictating a letter or responding to an e-mail. Sometimes my ideas come to me more readily and more articulately when I’m speaking; thus, Dragon may be a program that is very beneficial for me. I’ll be able to promote the usefulness of this program with my students and demonstrate the ways in which it can benefit them as well.

My understanding, in the past, was that voice recognition software was not particularly accurate. In fact, my understanding was that it was working well if you were at 90% accuracy rate. I can see already, from my brief experience with this program, that the accuracy rate is much higher. Additionally, I can see how easy it is to quickly update or fix any errors as I am progressing. For me this will be a very useful tool.

I have always been a good writer, and am able to easily express my ideas. I do find spelling challenging however, and sometimes I have found that writing ideas can take longer than just saying them. In fact the way I process often is through what I hear myself say. So then, the process of hearing my own speech, in other words talking about something, is a huge part of my processing and a link to my own cognition.

When I consider students on the Autism spectrum (or those who experience other neurological differences), who may have challenges in organizing their thoughts and often experience challenges with written output, I can see that this Dragon Dictate software will potentially open up huge opportunities for my child and others like him.

Ahhh… the possibilities…

PS. This is not a promotional post for this program; rather it is simply a reflection of my experience with the software. I received no benefit or compensation from the makers or distributors of Dragon Dictate.

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30 Days of Autism is a project designed to fight stigma, promote civil rights, and increase understanding and acceptance for those who process and experience the world differently.

©Leah Kelley, Thirty Days of Autism (2011)