Can I just say, "EchoPoint, Our family is in love with you!"
Ellie's trial speech device, the EchoPoint2, has been with us for about 4 weeks. I've never seen something so amazing! The device is calibrated to Ellie's eyes and when she stops and "gazes" on a picture for more than .7 of a second, it speaks the voice output programed into that picture. Within minutes, the first time trying the device with Ellie at home, she was opening new picture files and making choices. It's been incredible and validating for our family to watch her express preferences and needs. She's in there, she really is, she just can't get the words to come out verbally.
The second interesting thing about the EchoPoint is that it's a touch/eye gaze device. We've been baffled watching her try to use the device with her hands. If I place the device so that Ellie can touch it, she will. What's interesting is that she'll hit the same button over and over again. She doesn't vary her choices, or open new sets of pictures or menus. She's limited to basically the first page with 15 pictures. When she's using eye gaze function, she can zip through 5 menus of 15 pictures each, making choices and communicating along the way. I know it's a bit hard to comprehend so I'll attempt to explain.
When turning on the device, there are 15 pictures. Some of them just speak, while others open a completely new set of 15 pictures. They're organized by topic, location, items, etc. For example on the main page is "pages" and activating that key opens a new page of 15 buttons. On the new page one button is "school" and by activating the "school" button, a new set of 15 buttons appear. Within that set there is a button for "center time" that opens 15 new buttons, each of them a choice that Ellie can make for her center time activity.
One day as I was getting dinner on the table I casually said to Ellie, "Why don't you tell Emma about school?" As I walked into the kitchen I heard nothing until "library center, library center, library center." I came in to see that Ellie had activated "pages" and then "school" and then "center time" and then "library center" multiple times. I had attended school that day with Ellie and she had chosen to be in the "library center" for the duration of her "center time."
Amazing! Ellie could not express this other than through her device. We feel so blessed to live in the technology era. The device we've had has been a trial and soon we will be without it again. We're working on purchasing one of our own but we've learned, through experience, this takes time when dealing with insurance companies. We're praying that the process moves smoothly and quickly, for Ellie's sake. Now that we've seen how clearly she is able communicate with her device, we don't want to see her without it.
Thanks for following us on this journey of life.
I have goose bumps and tears. I felt bad in May when we met in Boston, telling you to go in a completely different direction even though you had already worked so hard on the dynavox, but it looks like it is working out after all and I am so happy for your family!!! We found less behavior problems even when the Eco2 was off, because she had gotten to say a few things, she was just less frustrated. Way to go super mom!!!! You first heard of the thing in May and are already done with the trial, look at you light the world on fire, way to go!!!! xx
ReplyDeleteI am so happy for you and Ellie!! It sounds like she is doing amazing! We have decided to go with the Eco2 also. We are going online today and print out some of the symbols from the Unity so that we can use them until we get the device (which hopefully won't take too long), so that she will stay familiar with their meaning. It isn't supposed to take long to purchase it since that paperwork has already gone through, but you know all too well how it is dealing with insurance. It will be so worth it, though. I can't for both our girls to have a voice!!!
ReplyDeleteI will never forget the first time Ellie communicated with the device! When she said "push stroller" at the Newell house. It was so remarkable it brought tears to my eyes! Love you both!
ReplyDeleteTrish