Community Living and partners develop device for non-verbal child to communicate

Community Living of Kincardine and District prides itself on working with families to be a team of resilient and innovative problem-solvers.

Recently, a family supported by Community Living was told their young child would be a good candidate for an eye-gaze frame as a form of communication. This child has so much to say and needed a low-tech way of sharing his thoughts with those around him!

The device that was suggested to the family was pricey, so Jenny Raspberry, infant and child development worker at Community Living, collaborated with Mackenzie Marshall, speech and language pathologist at the Thames Valley Children’s Centre, and David Dadson on behalf of the Kinetic Knights Robotics Team, to put together a cost-effective, customizable alternative for the family.

After trial, error, and lots of adjustments, the child’s family was happy to receive their new communication device!

The eye-gaze frame is a no-tech solution that allows the four-year-old child to choose from multiple picture options in different categories, and communicate his answer or request by moving his eyes. A communication partner (parent, teacher, etc.) can sit across from him and see where he is looking, following up with ‘yes’ or ‘no’ to make sure he has been understood.
 

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Mackenzie Marshall, speech and language pathologist with the Thames Valley Children’s Centre, prepares to talk about colours and feelings with a non-speaking child, on his new eye-gaze device; photo courtesy of Community Living of Kincardine and District
 

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The child was thrilled with the new opportunity to chat, and loved taking his time to look through all the pages at his many possibilities for making choices and telling people his ideas. He is a quick learner and in no time at all, was using the eye-gaze device to tell Mackenzie which songs he wanted to sing, and which animal they should sing about next.

His family will be able to update and add more options as he becomes more proficient with the tool and has more to say. They are thrilled that he will be able to use this team-built device to expand his abilities to communicate, as they know he has so much to share with those around him. His family and supporters know that being non-speaking does not mean having nothing to say!