This is a discussion question. Please read the article that is attached first. Then respond to the discussion that is listed below..
Tom has cerebral palsy, does not speak, and has voluntary control of his eye and head movements only. At age 16 Tom is able to use these movements to move
about in an electric wheelchair and to communicate using his AAC device. Tom’s assistive technology story began when he was a preschooler and will continue
throughout his life. By age 4, it was apparent that Tom was unable to use his arms to point and he could not verbalize any sounds other than to laugh or cry.
His first AAC system involved eye gaze and an acrylic board. Tom would gaze at the desired picture and then back to his communication partner on the opposite
side of the transparent board. At age 6, Tom was introduced to linear scanning on a computer using a head switch and an adaptive software program. The cursor
would highlight one letter at a time and Tom would hit the switch when the cursor got to the desired letter. Given that there are 26 letters in the alphabet,
this type of communication was painfully slow. Because of his difficulty keeping his head erect for long periods and due to distractibility, he would
frequently miss the desired letter and have to start all over. It took many years and lots of in-school training for Tom to master scanning.
Although Tom got more proficient at scanning over the years, he was limited because his ability to spell and write independently was very limited. Tom
primarily used scanning to write spelling words and to copy short sentences.
Briefly discuss any ONE “law” that you read about in the ‘Variables, or “Laws,” to consider When Selecting AAC’ file. How does the “law” you selected apply to
Tom? Was the selected “law” followed or ignored? What was the result? How do you think following or ignoring the “law” influenced outcomes for Tom?
The post “Laws” to Consider: Tom’s Story – Laws to Consider first appeared on COMPLIANT PAPERS.