Two-year-old Jakobe has his opinions when it comes to snack time, and with the help of a software program and an iPad, he has gotten good at sharing them.
Jakobe is one of the children who attend the Early Intervention Developmental Group at Rochester Hearing & Speech Center and has been learning to communicate with his teachers and family members through the use of GoTalk NOW. With the help of Speech Language Pathologist, Debra Cecere, MS, CCC-SLP he is now able to put together multiple words to express his wants and needs. Debra has been working with Jakobe to teach him how to identify the photos on the screen, listen for the words, and use them himself to ask for items at snack time, to go outside or play in the motor room, listen to his favorite songs in class, and ask for his teachers.
"Using this device has made him much happier and less frustrated", explains Cecere. "He now has opinions that can be expressed". Also beneficial is that he is learning that he doesn't always get what he asks for, which is another important skill.
The GoTalk Now program on the iPad is essentially Jakobe's voice, so it's important that it goes everywhere with him- from class to home and then to the next program he'll attend when he ages out of Early Intervention at RHSC. He'll continue to learn new words, put together more sentences, and share with those around him when he wants more of something or is all done. And he picks up the new words and phrases quickly! When the video was made showing Jakobe using the multiple phrases to ask for what he wanted during snack time, the "I want" button was just added and newly introduced to him. It took him only a few tries before he put it together with the other words.
While GoTalk NOW offers a free version of their software, the iPads and cases needed to provide the touchscreen have been made possible to the children in RHSC's Developmental Program through grants or donations. If you would like to make a donation to RHSC, please do so through our secure website using the button below.
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