Single-message device

Also called Single-message switch, BIGmack, Recordable button, Talking button, One-message communicator

One big button, one recorded message. It looks like the least a device can do, and for some people it is the first time they have been heard.

What it is

A single-message device is a large button, typically 10 to 13 cm across, that plays one recorded message when pressed. Someone records the message by holding a record button and speaking; the user presses the top and it plays. The BIGmack is the best-known brand name, and the name is used for the whole category the way Hoover is for vacuums.

They cost a few tens of pounds, run for months on a battery, and survive being dropped, sat on and covered in yoghurt.

Who it can help

People at the very start of intentional communication: a child learning that pressing something makes something happen, an adult with profound and multiple learning disabilities whose reliable movement is one push of a fist. People who need a single essential message available instantly: "I need help", "come here", "turn the page". And anyone who needs to join in: a child who presses "hello everyone!" at circle time, or takes their turn in a story with the repeated line.

It is not a full communication system and should never be presented as one. A person with one message has a switch, not a vocabulary, and the next step should be planned from the day it arrives.

How it works

Cause and effect first. The person learns that a press produces a result, ideally one they care about: their brother's voice saying something silly, the punchline of a joke, "again!" that makes the adult repeat the game. That is the foundation of every switch skill that follows.

Then function. The message is chosen for the moment: a greeting for the start of the day, a line of a song, "my turn", "stop". The partner records it in a voice that matches the person's age and gender as far as possible, because an adult man greeting people in his mother's voice is a small daily indignity.

Some devices have a jack so an external switch can trigger them, which turns the recorder into a way of testing switch sites before any bigger investment.

Getting started

Borrow one. Most local AAC services, toy libraries and special schools have a shelf of them; a speech and language therapist or occupational therapist can arrange a loan.

Record something the person wants, not something the adult wants. "I want a tickle" gets pressed; "good morning" does not, unless the response is a fuss. Change the message every day or two so it stays worth pressing.

Watch for the moment the press becomes deliberate, and move on. A multi-message device or a two-symbol board is the next step, and it should come within weeks, not years.

Where to get help

ACE Centre publishes guidance on early switch use and lends equipment in some regions. Liberator sells the BIGmack in the UK. PMLD Link is the network for families and staff of people with profound and multiple learning disabilities. The NHS route is speech and language therapy.