Speech therapy

Toddlers with developmental delays are missing out on help they need. It can hurt them long term

Alexander, 3, who is being treated for developmental delays, watches Paw Patrol as one of his dinosaur toys lays nearby in the living room of his West Chicago, Ill., home Tuesday, Aug. 8, 2023. Alexander qualified for five Early … READ MORE

Student develops low-cost device to help people with speech disorders

Individuals with speech disorders often rely on expensive devices to help them communicate with others, but an Illinois Institute of Technology student has developed a cheaper, yet equally effective, alternative. The device will be … READ MORE

Jaw-strengthening teether designed for children with Down syndrome

Hannah Ferrill, a Purdue University alumna in industrial design from Purdue’s College of Liberal Arts, has developed a jaw-strengthening teether for children with Down syndrome. Hannah Ferrill Chris Adam, Purdue University April 6, … READ MORE

Kids with disabilities face health risks and marginalization under COVID-19

COVID-19 has been disruptive to all families, a McMaster University professor says, but the effects of school closures, medical equipment shortages and social distancing are further amplified for families of children with … READ MORE

DIY tools TalkBox and SenseBox help people with disabilities to communicate

The new devices, developed by a collaborative team based in the US, Canada, and Kenya, are easy to use and allow people in different cultural contexts to quickly enhance their ability to communicate. Figure 1. The first prototype (top … READ MORE

Rehabilitation and cerebral palsy

Frequent re-evaluation of orthotic devices is important because children quickly outgrow them and can undergo skin breakdown from improper use of this equipment. Summer camp for children with cerebral palsy. CerebralPalsy.org Author: … READ MORE

Forget the cell phone screen, a forearm is all you’ll need to read

Researchers report haptic interface for mobile technology. Postdoctoral student Yang Jiao communicates words to Jaeong Jung, an undergraduate student, using phoneme signals transmitted to the haptic device on his forearm. Purdue … READ MORE

First look at how children with cerebral palsy develop language skills

A new study of children with cerebral palsy could help ease the speech and language challenges many of these children face as they get older. The Hustad lab studies how speech, language, and communication abilities develop and change … READ MORE

Child care providers often lack the training, resources to serve children with disabilities

Although the Americans with Disabilities Act was signed into law nearly 30 years ago, a recent statewide survey of child care providers and early interventionists in Illinois suggests little has changed with regard to promoting the … READ MORE

High-flying young doctor overcomes stroke that grounded him

Flying at 35,000 feet at the start of a trip from their Chicago home to Hawaii to celebrate the upcoming birth of their first child, Dave Levy woke his sleeping wife and said, “Does my right eye look weird?” After … READ MORE

Apple spotlights how accessible tech helps people with disabilities thrive

There’s something undeniably special in the way Meera Phillips looks at you when you speak. It’s as if your words are the only words that will ever matter, whether you’re talking about something silly or something … READ MORE

This neural operating system lets paralyzed, voiceless patients communicate

Nuro’s new brain-computer interface uses neurological signals to let incapacitated patients talk to doctors and family. Nuro enables instant communication and computing for millions of people in post-surgeries and ICUs, nursing … READ MORE

Families agonize over who will care for their severely disabled children as they age

Deane Daprato when he was six-years-old and a day student at what was then called Bloorview MacMillan Kids Rehabilitation Hospital. CTV News Sandie Rinaldo, Anchor, National News Weekend & Reporter, CTV News W5 March 17, 2018 When … READ MORE

Meet the woman who saved Stephen Hawking’s voice, and then gave the technology away to those in need

When Lama Nachman met Stephen Hawking in 2011, she was given one clear instruction: do not change his voice. Lama Nachman, right, worked with Stephen Hawking on upgrading the systems he used to communicate. The hardware for his voice … READ MORE

How Stephen Hawking reclaimed his voice—and helped others do the same

One of Hawking’s greatest legacies is the work he did on technologies to assist people with disabilities. “It just seemed that cosmology was more exciting, because it really did seem to involve the big question: Where did the … READ MORE

Hawking won the world’s respect – and gave disabled people like me hope

Growing up disabled, I had few role models. But this brilliant, witty scientist helped shift the negative stereotypes many face. “It just seemed that cosmology was more exciting, because it really did seem to involve the big … READ MORE

Student with cerebral palsy uses iPad to communicate

There’s an app for just about everything now. From social media to games, it’s changed the way we communicate. And that couldn’t be truer for this week’s Kylies Kid. Joe has many friends at his middle school, a busy social … READ MORE

Phone app helps people with ALS speak using just their eyes

GazeSpeak runs on a smartphone and uses artificial intelligence to convert eye movements into speech, so a conversation partner can understand what is being said in real time. The eyes say it all. GazeSpeak, Enable Team, Microsoft … READ MORE

How a volunteer ‘voice bank’ helps the speech impaired

Ryan. Alex. Siri. These are names of robotic voices that are often programmed on electronic tablets. They also become default identities for people with speech disorders who rely on technology to communicate. John Gregoire of Windham, … READ MORE

How technology helps special-needs students excel

Educators in California, Montana and Washington explain how technology makes it easier to engage students with physical and learning disabilities. Wendy Burkhardt, seen here with student Kevin O’Brien, says the convergence of … READ MORE

Autistic teen shows how tech transforms lives

Dillan Barmache can’t speak, but that doesn’t mean he doesn’t have anything to say. In fact, Dillan has complex and powerful thoughts, and thanks to easily accessible technology paired with innovative apps, you can hear his … READ MORE

iPad opens world to a disabled boy

OWEN CAIN depends on a respirator and struggles to make even the slightest movements — he has had a debilitating motor-neuron disease since infancy. Photo by Alene Tchekmedyian, L.A. Times By Emily B. Hager, The New York Times … READ MORE

PlayFULL POTENTIAL Child and Family Therapy Services

PlayFULL POTENTIAL Child and Family Therapy Services is a private practice team that provides service coordination, psychology, speech-language therapy, occupational therapy and physical therapy in Calgary, Alberta. Services may … READ MORE

SwiftKey launches assistive app for special needs kids

SwiftKey released a new app on Thursday designed to give users with learning disabilities (those living with autism, for example) a non-verbal means of communication with friends and family. Early intervention with parent-led autism … READ MORE

Communicating with cerebral palsy: Ruby’s story

Ruby Hamilton is a 10-year-old girl who lives in the UK. Like many kids her age, she enjoys playing games and watching movies. However, due to complications at birth, she was starved of oxygen for nearly 30 minutes, resulting in … READ MORE