By Lori Lyle - bio | email
LOUISVILLE, KY (WAVE) - New technology is giving kids without a voice a chance to finally speak their minds. It's the newest therapy addition at the Kids Center for Pediatric Therapies on Eastern Parkway.
The device known as the DynaVox Maestro, is a tool speaks for the child. It's individually programmed to ask and answer questions, giving children an opportunity to participate in actual conversations.
The DynaVox has been life-changing for Christopher Heil. The 15-year-old sophomore at Atherton High School comes to the Kids Center weekly for therapy. He was born with Cerebral Palsy and can only speak a few words verbally. But that all changed when insurance covered the cost of a take-home DynaVox for Christopher.
When asked how old he is, Christopher can simply punch a button and the computer is programmed to say he's 15. When asked how he's feeling today, he'll select the exact mood.
And Christopher can ask more involved questions, too. While at the center for his weekly session, he can use the DynaVox to ask to play on the computer.
"He's amazingly smart and people think that because he's handicapped that there's not a brain" said Christopher's mom, Kristan. "But he definitely has one, he uses it. This is proof he uses it quite a bit."
It's even allowed Christopher to take part in school plays. His therapist, Jenny Thrasher, says "having speech give you access to lots of things in the world that you don't when you don't have speech."
And now she's thrilled that a lot more kids have verbal access. Thanks to money from a grant, the center recently purchased its own high-tech version of the DynaVox. With visual scenes to guide the children through the programs, it's extremely user friendly. And it has what's called 'eye-gazer' technology for children that lack the motor control to use their arms; they can simply use their eyes to manipulate the screens and communicate.
Thrasher says it will help kids interact socially on many levels, including in school.
"A kiddo can say, 'hey it's my turn!'" Thrasher said. "Or even tell a teacher 'I don't understand,' or ask 'what does that mean?'"
It's technology that's giving kids a voice who otherwise would not have one, as well as a future filled with sound opportunities.
In addition to therapy at the center, the therapists will be able to evaluate and write recommendations for insurance coverage, enabling more kids to have them at home for 24-hour access to voiced conversations.
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