Canada’s CTV News is reporting on how autistic children at the Bloorview Kids Rehab, a teaching hospital affiliated with the University of Toronto, are using special software on Pocket PC-like devices to more comfortably communicate with people around them. There is no information in the article regarding who the developer of the software is, nor where one can obtain a copy.
“This device has a number of settings that contain pictures and words and an alphabet board,” said Bloorview’s Margaret Ettorre, a speech-language therapist. “So if he clicks ‘school’ and ‘is it time for’ it will speak that whole question.”
The Palmtop has a word-prediction function that gives Kayle a list of possible words after he types the first three letters. He can click on the right one and move on, which allows him to communicate more quickly.
It also has words and phrases that correspond with his favourite foods, people he knows and places he frequents.
Now that Kayle has a way to express himself, his behavior has improved.
“Before, he would do a lot of circling the room, do destructive things,” said Coutie. “Now he can tell us. And the keyboard is the important part.”
To read more about the technology, check out this story published by Bloorview Kids Rehab.
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