Publications >May E-Newsletter> Jordan
"In His Own Voice"
All his life, Jordan has been a passive observer, with little independent means to communicate a full range of wants, needs, feelings and thoughts. A bright young boy, Jordan grapples with severe physical limitations as a result of Cerebral Palsy, a condition that has rendered him unable to use neither speech nor his hands to communicate functionally. Jordan has always shown a strong desire to communicate with his family, teachers, and friends. It’s not difficult to notice that he is highly social, often laughing and sharing affection.
Until recently, Jordan’s teachers and peers regularly had to guess what Jordan was attempting to communicate, with the aide of pictures and symbols, sometimes making incorrect assumptions or misunderstanding his intentions. Following an evaluation from the ACAT Clinic, Jordan has been trialing a high-tech voice output communication device called the DynaVox EyeMax which he accesses using his eyes. The device allows Jordan to “speak” for himself by simply looking at a picture on the screen for a short period of time.
With this device, Jordan has been able to share emotions, make requests, engage with his peers, and communicate a variety of messages independently. Jordan is in the process of obtaining his own device which he enthusiastically insisted he wanted in the blue color option! While he waits for his device to arrive, Jordan is able to borrow the Clinic’s DynaVox EyeMax for use throughout his school day. The DynaVox EyeMax provides Jordan with a control over his surroundings that is unparallel to any that he has had before. Now, Jordan will be able to use his own voice to respond to questions in class, order his own food at a restaurant, ask his parents for a hug, tease his brother, let someone know when something hurts, ask questions, and tell jokes to his friends.
Pictured above: Speech Therapist, Rebecca Therriault with Jordan.
To learn more about the ACAT Clinic, please call Rebecca at 617-254-3800, ext 5643 or email rtherriault@fhfc.org.
Related link:
Augmentative and Alternative Communication at Franciscan Hospital for Children