"We would love to know what is going on in her brain – why she does certain things and why she does them in a specific order. "Our goal is for her to bring the NovaChat to use to initiate conversation," she says. We're all speaking the same language now, and it's helped us become closer as a family."Īnn says that while Gwen has made amazing progress, the entire family is committed to help her advance even further. "A lot of times with autism you feel like you are having a hard time reaching your child, but with this technology it opens up a new understanding. "Her little sister uses the NovaChat to talk with Gwen, and even her grandmother uses it to help," Ann says. While Gwen still uses signs occasionally, and continues to work on developing oral speech, the NovaChat 8 remains her main method of talking with others.
"Her previous device didn't support the type of vocabulary organization she needed to be the most effective and efficient communicator," says Krista Davidson, Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Iowa's Wendell Johnson Speech and Hearing Clinic where Gwen attends speech therapy. The NovaChat 8 is a perfect fit because of the core vocabulary available on the device's main screen and how the words are organized. It's slow going – it doesn't happen overnight – but her progress is real." At first, she used NovaChat® to make one-word utterances and a year later she's talking in five-word sentences. Now Gwen has the ability to interact with us, teachers and caregivers in a way that works for her and we can all understand. "Because of Gwen's autism, for years her communication was limited to simple sign language and a lot of guesswork on our part. "There are no words to describe how it feels to be able to talk to your child when it wasn't possible before," Gwen's mother, Ann, says. After 11 years of being at the mercy of those around her for literally all of her needs and wants, she did not lose hope and chose to accept a new way of communicating to take back power she has never really had for herself. She is fiercely protective of her friends and those she loves. She is social and finds joy in making people laugh. I have waited 11 years to hear her say "mommy". It's the first time I have "heard" that word come from her. This past year, for the first time, she repeatedly asked to go see mommy. A friend usually pushes Emma the 3.1 mile race route. "Every year, Emma and I organize and host a 5K to raise money for research into her disorder. She has built friendships and has even advocated for a friend when she felt they needed it. She has been able to participate in her own medical decisions. "Emma has been able to show her doctors, peers, teachers, and family just how much she understands. At that point, we realized just how much Emma had been missing out on, how much she wanted and needed to participate in every area of her life. As we were leaving, she wanted to stop and tell the nurse a joke (the nurse laughed a lot and had a great sense of humor). She then said, "school, play, teacher, yes" because she knew she was missing school and wanted to go. She then chimed in during our discussion about her allergy medication when the doctor asked me if we should try a different one. She used the preset messages we had added to tell him thank you and goodbye, appropriately.
Up to that point, she hadn't used it to have a meaningful conversation. "Emma's PCP was moving to a new city and had been asking us to visit with her device.
#Nova chat vocabulary files wordpower 42 mac#
We tried PECS, an iPad, a Big Mac button. She has a significant tremor, which makes fine motor actions not only frustrating, but nearly impossible. "Everyone kept insisting on trying forms of communication that just did not work for her. What if someone hurt her and she couldn't tell me? How would she tell people if she was hungry, sad, not feeling well, or was happy? I worried about her safety when she wasn't with me. I knew she had many thoughts and opinions by her facial expressions, but was left guessing what they might be and what she would choose to say. "I felt like there was a disconnect in my relationship with my daughter. She often used her eyes and facial expressions to communicate her wants and needs, but unless you knew her well, her cues were often dismissed or missed. Before we began working with you, my 10-year-old daughter, Emma, had no way to communicate.
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