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SEND / AAC Echo

AAC Echo: build and speak a selected message

Student Radar’s AAC Echo helps communicators choose words on a board and speak a message, with staff or supporter help where needed. Keep the selected words separate from AI-generated wording and check the intended meaning with the communicator.

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Interpret sends phrase and button text to Student Radar and OpenAI. Keep identifying details out and check intended meaning; generated wording is not automatically the communicator’s confirmed statement.

Check the actual selected message and the device audio before use.

Communication support

Build a message with the communicator’s meaning in view.

Choose words on Echo’s AAC boards, move between related boards and use available speech controls, with a clear distinction between selected words and an AI interpretation.

  1. 01

    Open the right board

    Use the app’s embedded board where supported, or the explicit Open Echo fallback.

  2. 02

    Choose and check the message

    Select word tiles, recognise navigation tiles and correct the phrase before speaking.

  3. 03

    Keep interpretation separate

    Read the data notice and check the intended meaning. An unavailable interpretation is not a confirmed spoken result.

Chosen words

Read the selected message before speaking

Word tiles and linked boards do different things. The selected phrase remains the point to check before using the device’s speech controls.

App entry

Open separately when the app cannot frame Echo

The AAC Board wrapper explains the supported separate-tab route and provides a canonical Open Echo action.

Opening Echo is separate from saving a pupil communication record.

Data notice

Understand Interpret before using it

The notice identifies phrase/button-text processing by Student Radar and OpenAI and links to privacy information.

Do not include names or other identifying details in an interpretation request.

Core vocabulary

Start with the appropriate communication board

Choose the intended word and use related boards when needed. A category opened is not necessarily a word added to the message.

Check the agreed communication arrangement and board suitability.

Board navigation

Keep the current board and phrase distinct

Home, Back and Board navigation move around the set; the board chooser identifies the available/current board.

Board navigation is not an assessment or a school-owned communication log.

Device voice

Check the available voice and pace

Settings offers language, voice, rate, pitch, volume and Preview where supported. Available choices depend on the browser/device.

Check actual audio output before relying on the device.

Clear result states

Keep the phrase when interpretation is unavailable

An unavailable service result leaves the selected phrase identifiable. It must not be treated as a confirmed interpretation or message heard.

No successful AI result is implied by this screen.

Phone communication

Keep message and board controls usable on a phone

Read the phrase and available controls before speaking, and clear it deliberately when finished.

An open board or device cache is not a guaranteed school-record backup.

Keep the next decision grounded in the record

Interpret sends phrase and button text to Student Radar and OpenAI. Keep identifying details out and check intended meaning; generated wording is not automatically the communicator’s confirmed statement.

Choose and correct a message without confusing category navigation with words

Keep device speech and AI interpretation distinct

Make the Interpret privacy boundary and result state clear

Questions about AAC Echo

Can Echo speak the words selected on a communication board?

Speak plays the selected message using the device/browser’s speech facilities and available board sounds. Voice choices vary by device, so staff should check the actual audio, volume and settings before use.

What is different about the Interpret option?

Interpret sends phrase and button text to Student Radar and OpenAI to generate wording and audio. A successful response starts playback immediately. Keep identifying details out and check meaning with the communicator; generated words are not automatically their confirmed statement.

Related help guides

See how to carry out these tasks in Student Radar, with step-by-step product help for the people using them.

The value of a connected school

A plan matters when support reaches the child.

Bring the evidence around provision into the review, so the SENCO and teaching team can decide the next step together.

SEND

Context for the next step

Student Radar

Follow a connection to see what it makes possible

Relevant context, with access set by each staff member’s role and responsibilities. Staff decide the response.

  1. Attendance + SEND

    Check attendance alongside planned support

    Look at absence and late arrival around provision. A pupil may have a plan in place and still miss opportunities to receive that support.

    Explore attendance

  2. Assessment + SEND

    Bring progress evidence to the review

    Consider recorded learning and small steps alongside targets and provision. Keep the evidence visible while staff judge what is helping and what needs another look.

    Explore assessment

  3. Family communication + SEND

    Include the people who know the pupil

    Gather family contributions and coordinate review conversations around the same pupil, with named actions and dates to keep the agreed work moving.

    Explore family communication

Ask to see words selected and meaning checked

Use a generic phrase to explore related boards, correct the selection and inspect voice settings and the explicit interpretation notice.

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