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Thursday, April 18, 2013

Maya Finds Her Voice

 . . . in only 10 minutes.

This video is my attempt at a short-as-I-could-make-it partial-summary of our journey to find some sort of communication system for Maya.  It starts with a photo of Maya on her 2nd birthday and continues from there. It was kind of amazing to put together.







Answers to anticipated questions:

  • The first app that you see is called Proloquo2Go, running on an iPad in the Otterbox Defender case.  
  • The communication boards and picture cards for the Word Book were created using BoardMaker software. 
  • The final app that you see, the one that we still currently use, is called Speak for Yourself and is running on an iPad in the AMDi iAdapter case (later footage includes the plastic keyguard that helps her not hit other buttons accidentally).

Our whole story doesn't fit in a 10 minute video, we also used sign language, labeled household objects with pictures, used a modified glove before we had a keyguard, and studied the work of many experts in the field of AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) as we went.

We are still a work in progress.

There is no finish line here. I make no claims at having done this perfectly, but we've done this all in the best way that we could figure out.

If you are a parent who is trying to figure out how to start the AAC process with your child, check out this link.

There's more information about our assistive tech journey here.

17 comments:

  1. Amazing to watch. Thank you for sharing.

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  2. You are an inspiration! Maya reminds me so much of my 23 month old daughter. She is nonverbal and signing but I wonder if we should dive into this other world of communication apps. Thank you for giving me hope!

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  3. That's wonderful! We just purchased Touch Chat yesterday, and my son is loving it.

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  4. you know what I want to see written in every child's IEP and communication device evalation? PRESUME COMPETENCE

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  5. Ah yes, a wonderful display of Love from all angles and the Least Dangerous Assumption going in full force.

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  6. Wonderful!! Thank you so much for sharing your inspiring, hopeful story. Maya is beautiful! When was the last video clip taken?

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  7. Although I've been following your journey for awhile and have been amazed at Maya's progress, it's really remarkable to see it in condensed form. What an encouraging teaching tool for others. I applaud you for keeping track from the beginning. It's maybe the boost I need to do something like this for Aidan's wheelchair progress, though I'd have a lot of backtracking to do. We'll see. Way to go Maya (and wait, why didn't you put in the fuzzy navel clip?)

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  8. This is SUCH a powerful video. Thanks for taking the time to share it! I'll be sharing it on my facebook page and on twitter...

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  9. Ah that last clip makes me especially happy. Up until that, it was all, you know, basic needs, not that there is anything wrong with being able to communicate basic needs, don't get me wrong! But that last clip is sheer little-girl communication just for the joy of it.

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  10. What a wonderful progression! Thank you for sharing!

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  11. Beautiful video to watch, it is such a delight to see Maya "finding her voice." She is one smart little girl! I am just beginning with my son to explore AAC and it is pretty overwhelming. He is 2.5 and has cerebral palsy so we are dealing with the additional issues of no fine motor control and low vision to boot. He is smart though and definitely has the desire to communicate and has a couple of words that he speaks. Thanks to you and Maya for continuing to be an inspiration to me!

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  12. Amzing progress, great job Maya and mom! keep up the great work its so inspriring!
    We are on a similar communication path with my little guy who is 4 years 5 months and started with pictures and a word book and is now using the ipad and pro lo quo! and just recently started verbally saysing a few words!

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  13. Maya so eloquently illustrates why this app is such an excellent choice for so many. But the story is not about the Speak For Yourself app as much as it is about finding the best key to communication for each individual. And may I say, thank goodness for parents who don't take no for an answer!

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  14. It starts with a photo of Maya on her 2nd birthday and continues from there. It was kind of amazing to put together.speech recognition software

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  15. the work of many experts in the field of AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) as we went.speech recognition software

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