Girl, 12, learns to talk through technology
You may want to have a tissue handy....;):)
http://ca.news.yahoo.com/s/capress/1...al/girl_speaks
Girl, 12, learns to talk through technology
1 hour, 6 minutes ago
By Shannon Montgomery, The Canadian Press
CALGARY - The first thing 12-year-old Tobynn Geurts did when she was given a voice was to call her classmates "turkeys."
Until a few months ago, the wheelchair-bound girl could only answer questions by shaking her head yes or no, rendered incapable of speaking or writing by severe cerebral palsy.
But thanks to a special computer, Tobynn is learning to speak up.
Speech-language pathologist Louise Buchanan says Tobynn needed a little nudge because it's hard for her to work the machine with her elbow. Teachers found that push by giving the girl the ability to tease.
"We found that telling people, her friends, 'you're a turkey', was very motivating for Tobynn, and she found it very funny to tell her friends in her class, or her teacher if he made a mistake," Buchanan said, laughing.
Since January, Tobynn has moved from selecting pre-programmed sentences to putting together complete thoughts. Through the computer, Tobynn says it's awesome that she's now able to tell people what she likes and what she wants, and she's also happy she can ask questions.
She also has one very important detail to share.
"My favourite singer is Justin Bieber," she says, a smile spread across her face.
Andre Geurts says when his daughter was born, he and his wife were warned she might never walk, smile or laugh. The elation of seeing his girl's first smile was only equalled by hearing her talk through the machine for the first time, he adds.
Learning what his daughter is thinking has sometimes been surprising, he says, recalling the first time she asked what time it was. It wasn't something he'd ever thought to tell her.
The machine has also changed the way he sees his daughter's future
"If you would have asked me this 11 years ago, I probably wouldn't be that hopeful," he says. "But now seeing how she runs this, it's really up to her. I think she can go anywhere she wants with it."
Tobynn is one of 150 adults and children across Alberta working with the Augmentative Communication and Educational Technology Service, a group that helps people with severe difficulty communicating.
The group is in the fifth year of a pilot project evaluating the communication devices, says co-ordinator Kim Beckers. Before that, there was no funding for the computers, which can cost tens of thousands of dollars.
Now, she says, children are getting them early enough that they can start school able to communicate with their peers.
"That has opened up so many doors and given so many clients a voice to be able to communicate with those around them, to share their thoughts, ideas and feelings," she says. "It's been tremendous, the impact."
Asked what she's most excited to be able to say now that she can speak, Tobynn spends a long time hitting the button, watching the computer screen intently.
The words family, I and love all emerge over time.
"You love your family, is that what you're trying to say?" asks her father. Tobynn nods, a smile spreading across her face.
"Her sitting there saying I love my family, I don't know," Geurts says, his eyes brimming with tears.
"I couldn't imagine not being able to tell somebody I love them, and she's not been able to it for 12 years.
"So for her to be able to do that, it's pretty cool."
