Using AVAZ to Enhance Communicative Abilities of a Child with Cerebral Palsy
Communication difficulties associated with cerebral palsy can be multifactorial, arising from motor, intellectual and / or sensory impairments. Affected children can experience mild to severe difficulties in expression. Those with little or no functional speech frequently rely on non-speech communication systems to augment or replace natural speech. These systems include speech generating devices (SGDs). AVAZ is a portable speech synthesizer which can be controlled by the gross motor movements of a child with cerebral palsy.
Purpose: This case study describes the outcomes of a pilot investigation that utilised AVAZ as a means of enhancing functional communication in a young girl with cerebral palsy.
Method: A 7-year-old girl with cerebral palsy and complex communication needs was trained for 10 sessions to develop requesting ability by pointing to the desired pictures on the AVAZ.
Results: After the training sessions, the child showed improvement in social interaction and functional communication.
Conclusions and Implication: The collaborative efforts of an interdisciplinary team, comprising a speech pathologist, a physiotherapist, parents of the child and a social worker, made it possible to enhance the child’s confidence and functional communication using AVAZ.
Hence it is important to pursue client-oriented, innovative and collaborative intervention approaches among team members.
Keywords
Authors
How to Cite
Download Citation
License
Copyright © 2014 The Author(s)
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.
Authors retain copyright and grant the journal right of first publication with the work simultaneously licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution License By-NC-ND 4.0 that allows others to share the work with an acknowledgement of the work's authorship and initial publication in this journal.
Authors are able to enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal's published version of the work (e.g., post it to an institutional repository or publish it in a book), with an acknowledgement of its initial publication in this journal.
Authors are permitted and encouraged to post their work online (e.g., in institutional repositories or on their website) prior to and during the submission process, as it can lead to productive exchanges, as well as earlier and greater citation of published work (See The Effect of Open Access ).
Similar Articles
- Doly Bokalial, Md. Forhad Hossain, N.S. Senthil Kumar, Shristi Bajracharya, Effectiveness of Community-Based Rehabilitation on the lives of Parents of Children with Cerebral Palsy: A Mixed Method Study in Karnataka, India , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 31 No. 3 (2020): Autumn
- Maria Zuurmond, Ilias Mahmud, Sally Hartley, Children with Cerebral Palsy in Bangladesh: Their Contribution to the Development of a Rehabilitation Training Programme , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 29 No. 4 (2018): Winter 2018
- Maria A Zuurmond, Ilias Mahmud, Sarah Polack, Jenny Evans, Understanding the Lives of Caregivers of Children with Cerebral Palsy in rural Bangladesh: Use of Mixed Methods , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 26 No. 2 (2015): Summer 2015
- G Malar, N Sreedevi, CB Suresh, Caregiver’s Involvement in Early Intervention for Children with Communication Disorders , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 24 No. 4 (2013): Winter 2013
- B A Tella, Caleb Ademola Gbiri, O A Osho, A E Ogunrinu, Health-Related Quality of Life of Nigerian Children with Cerebral Palsy , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 22 No. 2 (2011): Autumn
- Hilary Kibele Harawo, Wisdom Kwadwo Mprah, Extra-Institutional Factors Limiting Access to Rehabilitation Services for Children with Cerebral Palsy: Perspectives of Caregivers in Marsabit County, Kenya , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 32 No. 4: Winter 2021
- Ernest Appiah Kyei, Joslin Dogbe, Perceptions of Primary Caregivers about Causes and Risk Factors of Cerebral Palsy in Ashanti Region, Ghana , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 30 No. 2 (2019): Summer 2019
- Suzanne C Hopf, Sharynne McLeod, Sarah H McDonagh, Epenisa N Rakanace, Communication Disability in Fiji: Community Cultural Beliefs and Attitudes , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 28 No. 1 (2017): Spring 2017
- Md Noorain Alam, Sanjay Kumar Munjal, Naresh K Panda, N Banumathy, Preeti Sharma, Hearing, Speech and Language Outcomes in Children with Cochlear Implants: a Comparison between ADIP Scheme and Self-Financed Scheme , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 33 No. 3: (Autumn) - 2022
- Meisa Puspitasari, Kusnandi Rusmil, Dida Gurnida, The Relationship Between Gross Motor Function and Quality of Life Among Children with Cerebral Palsy , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 24 No. 4 (2013): Winter 2013
You may also start an advanced similarity search for this article.
Most read articles by the same author(s)
- Anju George, Jeena Mary Joy, Sita Sreekumar, Academic Outcomes and Coping Mechanisms of Children using Cochlear Implants in Mainstream Schools in Kerala, India , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 31 No. 4 (2020): Winter
- Sita Sreekumar, Suja K Kunnath, Vineetha Sara Philip, Predictors in the Selection of an AAC system: An Evidence-based Report on Overcoming Challenges , Disability, CBR & Inclusive Development: Vol. 29 No. 1 (2018): Spring 2018