Months ago, I said I'd give away an iPad here, paid for with a fee I'd received for attending a salon on social media for social good. This seems like a fine time to give away an iPad 2 to a kid with special needs, along with a Proloquo2Go speech app. The folks at Care.com—a place for finding caregivers for kids, parents, pets—have generously donated another iPad and Proloquo2Go app (I've done work for them). So we will have two iPad winners.
The iPad and Proloquo2Go have opened up Max's world; he's been able to communicate in ways that he never could before. Right now, I'm working with his speech therapist at school to add sentences. Here's Max using the app for his favorite topic of conversation, spaghetti (what else?), and what his best bud likes to eat:
Each winner will receive:
• One iPad 2 16GB with Wi-Fi in your choice of black or white (valued at $499).
• One Proloquo2Go speech app (valued at $189.99).
• One iPad Smart Cover in a color of your child's choice, based on available colors ($39).
To enter to win an iPad, leave a comment below about how you believe an iPad and Proloquo2Go speech app could benefit your child. No need to get into detail, just share what you want.
Each winner will be asked to provide a letter of need from a speech therapist or doctor in their child's life. The letter from the therapist or doctor must include her qualifications and contact information so that he or she can be called to verify that, indeed, the recipient is a child in need of an iPad and speech app.
This giveaway is open until Tuesday, Aug 9, 2011 at 11:59 ET. It is open to U.S. and Canadian residents 18 and older.
RULES OF ENTRY
• Valid email address required. I need that so I can reach you if you win, as my ESP is not up to speed. So if your email is not visible on your blog, you will need to leave it wth your comment. If there is no email, your entry is disqualified.
• One entry per family, please.
• No entries accepted past the deadline.
• Other blogs and sites are doing iPad giveaways for children with special needs, including a4cwsn and Mission iPossible. If you happen to win an iPad both here and elsewhere, I respectfully request that you voluntarily bow out of one so another child in need can get an iPad. Think: karma.
WINNER DETERMINATION
• I will choose two winners via the website random.org within 24 hours after the giveaway is closed, and this post will be updated to include screenshots from random.org of the winning comment numbers. I will email the winners at that time.
• If I do not hear back from a winner within seven days, another winner will be chosen.
• If a winner does not produce a letter from their child's speech therapist or doctor within two weeks of being informed of the win, another winner will be selected.
GETTING THE IPAD/APP/SMART COVER
• Each winner's iPad and Smart Cover will be ordered within one business day after I confirm information with the child's therapist or doctor. The iPad and Smart Cover will be shipped directly to the winner. The arrival dates will be based on Apple's estimated arrival time.
• I will email the iTunes code for the Proloquo2Go app directly to the winners.
Word, the IRS requires that you report winnings from sweepstakes.
Good iLuck!
UPDATE: THE WINNERS
After narrowing down the qualified entries and counting them, I selected the winning comment numbers via random.org. The winners of an iPad, Proloquo2Go and Smart Cover are Sandra (#117) and Kristine (#41).
The winners have been notified by email, and have two weeks to send in a letter of need from a doctor or therapist.
This couldn't have been a merit-based give away because all of our children deserve iPads and speech apps. The comments here are so moving; I've read and reread them. I wish I were Oprah and I could say, "Everyone, look beneath your seats!" For now, I hope you will enter the iPad giveaways on other sites, and encourage your school districts (if your child is school-age) to consider getting your child an iPad and speech app. I also hope that others who read this blog now understand just how much of a need there is for iPads for kids with special needs—and can find ways to help. I will be thinking on more ways to get iPads into the hands of kids who could use them. Thanks again to Care.com for their generous donation.
Photos/foguenne and frecklesandpurls
My daughter is nonverbal but has incredible receptive language, so gets extremely frustrated that the rest of the family can't understand what she needs. Her speech therapist just started using an ipad in her sessions and she is not only delighted, but has learned to use it in one sitting. This app would unlock her communication and bring the rest of US up to speed in understanding HER!
ReplyDeleteMy daughter Roo is four and has mild dystonic/athetoid cerebral palsy. She is speech delayed and as a result gets frustrated when she can't make her needs understood - I can see her brain working and then her mouth rejecting the words. She is going to be working with an iPad and ProLoQuoToGo at school this year and it would be incredible to have that same resource at home. Thank you!
ReplyDeleteOur daughter Katie had Bacterial Meningitis at 2 weeks of age. She's now 3 and a half, and doing really well. She learned a load of stuff from our iPhones, and an iPad2 would be fantastic for her to further her learning.
ReplyDeleteMy son is 8. He has a feeding tube to having eosinophilic gastrointestinal disorder.
ReplyDeleteHis other diagnoises are: ppd-nos,hiatal hernia, adhd, snesory issue, resp airway disease, anemic, poor muscle tone...
He has severe language delays
They do not know why
We are going back for more tests
He uses tap to talk on his ipod touch but this would be wonderful.
GOOD luck to everyone
and BLESS you for doing this.
I am a special education student teacher, working towards a degree in emotional and cognitive impairments. I hope to also receive a specialization in Autism. I have done assignments for classes researching assistive technology for students with special needs. I feel that I have a unique opportunity to help not one, but many, many children in school with this iPad and app!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for doing this giveaway. This is so amazing.
"I want to know what Timmy wants. " says his big sister. We all want Timmy to be able to communicate with us. We know that even though he has no words he can speak he has so much to say. An ipad would help him to communicate with us. He uses one at PG Chambers , but we would love one for home ! Thanks so much!!
ReplyDeletePattydunne@verizon.net
my sons name is gautham,well he cant communicate much ,,i would love to to give to him as a gift,this opportunity can change our life,he is very shy and lonely
ReplyDeletekid , no one plays with him since he cant communicate much ,,
:D
My son Xander is 7 years old and is non-verbal. He is globally developmentally delayed and I can see the frustration in his face when it comes to trying to communicate. He loves the iPad in the classroom and has become quite proficient with it. We have not be able to get one for home yet. I would love to be able to help his communication progress to verbal someday. I know the iPad would help. Julie cormanpoohfamily@aol.com
ReplyDeleteJoe is 3 years old, completely nonverbal, and just now learning how to move and manipulate things with his hands. His OT and I agree that an iPad could do wonders for him!
ReplyDeleteliatremblay at gmail dot com
My son Hunter is ten years old and has apraxia as well as developmentally disabled. I am so thankful that a fried saw your blog and passed it on to me. Looking forward to reading more and seeing all of this amazing support!
ReplyDeletecolleenkryan@yahoo.com
My 4-year old son Aidan, struggles with a speech motor planning disorder associated with a neuro-birth defect called polymicrogyria. While he faces many difficulties and delays, speech is by far his biggest challenge. He gets great help from speech therapy in and outside of school, and we work with him at home too. He can say some 1-syllable words with varying degrees of intelligability, but no sentences yet. I believe that he can understand what he hears though. That is why I think an I-pad with speech and language apps would be so helpful to him. I would love to provide my smart, curious, hilarious, (not applicable here, but also adorable) son with extra practice, fun and opportunities to improve.
ReplyDeleteOur 3 year old daughter was born with a hypoxic brain injury. She also suffered a brain bleed and has a chromosomal deficiency. She has amazed us with her strong will and determination every day. She is the youngest of our three children, unable to walk, unable to talk, and unable to feed herself or dress herself. She has recently been able to use her index finger on her right hand to successfully use a choice board. We have been amazed at her ability and believe that she would be able to use an Ipad to communicate her wants and needs with us. We have an ipod touch but the screen is very small. Thank you for advocating for children with disabilities. God Bless your efforts.
ReplyDeleteMy son Mikey has down syndrome and has lots of trouble communicating...school is begin to use the Ipad with him and it would be very helpful to have one at home and be able to coordinate the apps between home and school
ReplyDeleteMy daughter, Emily, is 5 years old. She was severely abused by her biological family at 6 weeks of age. Because of the abuse she has CP, CVI, Epilepsy, etc. Her therapist has talked about this for awhile but we are unable to afford it. I would LOVE to win this since this may be the answer to our prayers, Emily would learn to communicate with us!
ReplyDeleteMy son suffered a stroke during birth and is delayed in his speech. He is 23 months old and is currently in speech therapy. He loves electronics so i know he would love this.
ReplyDeletelydiaspaces@hotmail.com
I love to follow your blog and am completely inspired by you and Max. We have a 4 year old daughter with Down syndrome, who is doing great and doesn't need the iPad & speech ap. Just wanted to tell you how wonderful I think it is that you are making this incredible tool available to families in need. Peace and joy to you and yours.
ReplyDeleteMy son, Christopher is 3 and lives with Barth syndrome. For the first 15 months of his life he was a hospice patient before an unexpected improvement in heart function led to discharge. Though he is doing well with his heart, he does suffer from other problems including neutropenia, muscle weakness, pain, growth and speech delay and eating issues.
ReplyDeleteI think he would benefit from winning greatly because while he is verbal, his speech is something we have to work very hard on with therapies 3+ times a week.
He has also had to have 12 teeth pulled which makes verbal communication more difficult. I think winning would help him in many different ways. Thanks for doing the giveaway.
Kristi
mom to Christopher (3) Barth syndrome
mrsheartnpride@yahoo.com
http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/cj08
My daughter, Morgan, is three years old. She was born at 24 weeks and weighed just over a pound. Without saying a word, she has been such an inspiration to so many people. Morgan has Cerebral palsy and severe apraxia. She babbles and tries to be involved in everyones conversations. I want Morgan to be heard, and understood by everyone, not just me.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter, Morgan, is three years old. She was born at 24 weeks, and has overcome more in her short life than most people face in their entire lives. Morgan has CP and severe apraxia. She wants to talk so badly, and tries to become involved in every converstation around her. She has been such an inspiration to everyone that knows her.she is a social butterfly,I just want her to be able to communicate with everyone..not just me :)
ReplyDeleteHello, My son Julian is four Years old he has Autism spectrum disorder and non-verbal. he has responded to the pecs program at school and we use them at home. his speech therapist uses a Ipad with him during sections he likes a lot.this opportunity could make a difference with him and help him get less frustrated we he wants to communicate.
ReplyDeleteas i read thru all these entries i realize that u r going to have a tough decision and for whichever child recieves it it will be a blessing! johnny has been at a standstill with his communications process for a little while now. He is starting to get very frustrated and i think that this might be a big help. His therapists have mentioned "assistive technology" lately. He is pdd-nos, severely apraxic and completely non-verbal. He is starting preschool in september and that alone is scary. His twin has been trying to make his decisions as much as she can- lol- but that is ending as they r going to different schools. Either way thanks for the opportunity and it felt good to say this amongst other mothers who r going thru the same issues! good luck everyone!
ReplyDeleteMy 2 year old son has a chromosomal genetic disorder, and thus has multiple developmental deficiencies and delays. It is unfortunately not easy to bring a smile to his face. He is finally starting to create some sounds, and recognize lights, people, and small objects within reach. An I PAD would help him develop his verbal and visual skills, as well as his coordination.
ReplyDeletebrianspiegel@yahoo.com
My daughter will turn 4 in October this year. she was born with a congenital brain malformation called holoprosencephaly. A pretty big and scary word, but it basically means that her brain failed to grow and divide into two hemispheres before she was born. She has many things about her that make her "special" including a global developmental delay. She isn't able to speak but is able to make choices using her hands. An ipad would be awesome! My name is Meggan, and my email is emeggan@hotmail.com.
ReplyDeleteI would love to hear my Rene say, "I love you". Just one time.
ReplyDeleteMy daughter will be 17 in November. She has always been a social butterfly in that she loves people. She tries to talk to everyone she meets but those who aren't around her, can't understand her. Her favorite class is Chorus where she can "sing" with typical peers. Because of her rare syndrome and unique profile, school placement has been a challenge. She's had many different teachers the last 2 years which has been extremely difficult. She's been with few classmates so she craves the social interaction. The district has recommended an ipad but wants me to purchase the one for home. It would benefit her social communication (she loves email),academically (she has visual tracking, perception issues) so we enlarge everything,and above all else, increase independence and safety in the community for being understood.Thank you.
ReplyDeleteI am so glad you are giving everyone a chance at this. My son gets to use one once a week at school. We have been trying to save our money to get an Ipad for him to use since he is 6 and still none verbal. However when he uses this program at school he starts to make more sounds. I think that the technology really appeals to him. I hope for our son Brent's sake, he wins! We will use it to it's fullest. Thank you
ReplyDeletekcvoiceover@gmail.com
Karen Gruender
My son has been using this program at school once a week. The school suggested that we get him one customized to his needs. He is 6 years old and non verbal. We have been trying to save up the money for one but we have a new baby too and money is tight. Here is hoping that Brent gets the Ipad. We will use it for sure!
ReplyDeletekcvoiceover@gmail.com
Karen Carson Gruender
My son Nicolas is ten and has Down Syndrome. He has behavior problems stemming in part from communication issues and his fine motor skills are severely delayed. I believe an iPad would help him to make achievements in communication and academics.
ReplyDeleteSorry, I only ment to post once for the Ipad drawing. I didn't think it took the first time so I wrote a second time. Opps
ReplyDeleteThanks,
Karen Carson Gruender
kcvoiceover@gmail.com
My son, Jacob, just turned 6 last week and has a severe global developmental delay that affects his speech as well. He has been in early intervention since the age of 2 and attended special education preschools. He is currently in a Life Skills Classroom and still receives OT, PT, and speech therapy. His speech therapists have used a number of assistive communication techniques with him, including PECS. And his reacher has also recently started using an iPad program with him at school. I think this would be very helpful for him at home too. My email is amanda dot holzrichter at gmail dot com
ReplyDeleteMy nine year old daughter has Down syndrome and apraxia of speech. She understands everything that is said, but is unable to verbalize her response. An ipad would be such a blessing for her. Thank you.
ReplyDeleteWell, with all of the comments I have seen on here, my odds are very slim, but it is worth the effort, right? I have two beautiful miracles. Keith is 9 and loves Ben 10 and Legos. He has been diagnosed with Apraxia of Speech, ADHD, and Asperger's. We have been working on his speech since he was about two. He has made great strides, in spite of that evil audiologist from our school system that suggested we teach him sign language and give up on speech. I am still praying for her, by the way.
ReplyDeleteMy youngest lil bug, Dakota, turned six in June, and I am still trying to come to terms with the fact that I have had him that long! He just lost his second tooth today! He was born with an extra piece of a chromisome. Unfortunately, nobody else has the same extra piece, so the doctors cannot really tell me what to expect. On the other hand, I have a child that has been scientifically proven one of a kind! Last Thanksgiving, we found out that he has Perthe's disease, effecting his hips and making it difficult for him to get around at times. This was heartbreaking because it took us so long to teach him to walk. He uses signs, some of them self-made, to get his needs met. He has some words, but for the most part he is non-verbal, except for the fact that he can "sing" several songs, and even though he doesn't actually say the words, I love hearing him sing.
Keith could use an iPad in school to comunicate with the teachers and kids in his class. I have been discussing the need for these already. The devices they have in school scream look at me, I'm different. They also do not work that well. Dakota just started kindergarten for the second year. If he had an iPad, it would mostly be for home use until I could get him used to using it. His OT has one, she had him playing this cute little game where you pinch the crabs on the screen. An iPad would not only be able to help him with comunication, but it could help him with fine motor skills as well.
There are so many apps that you can get to help children that have different abilities. I have wanted on since a friend of mine purchased one for her son, who has ASD.
I have been seperated for going on 5 years now, raising my boys sans daddy. I live with my parents and have enrolled in classes to try and become a physical therapist, largely thanks to my boys. We live on an extremely tight budget, so purchasing something that costs hundreds of dollars that they cannot eat or wear is not really an option.
That is about all I can think to say. Winning an iPad would be awesome. I could just see Keith's face light up! If we do not win, I will be happy living with the fact that someone else has a cool new gadget to use with their kids. Either way, I still have my boys :) I thank God for my boys everyday. We may not be what you would call a "normal" family, but we are pretty dang cool, if I do say so myself!
By the way, I did not see how you would get in touch with the winner of the iPad, so I am putting my facebook thingy on here!
http://www.facebook.com/people/Donna-Harding-Minor/100000199693581
Thanks for sharing with others. I think an IPad would open up a world of communication for our 4 year old son. bobnstacy@comcast.net
ReplyDeleteHi,
ReplyDeleteMy name is Rachael and my son's name is Daniel who is 9 years old. He has been diagnosed with Myo- clonic Epilepsy, Development Delay, Sensory Disorder, Autism, and Cerbral Palsy. Where to begin how the ipad has been a great impact on Daniel? He was 1st introduced to the ipad by his occupational therapist. I could not believe how interested he was in the new gadget. It actually kept his attention focused more than 5 minutes. He has learned how to read words, strengthen his fine motor skills, and fun while learning. His speech therapist has also been working with Daniel on her ipad with pronouncing "th" sounds amongst other words as well. He also is learning to listen, comprehend, and mimmick the commands that have been given from working on the ipad. It is a nice treat for Daniel to work/play on when he finishes "table" therapy. We would be so ever greatful for Daniel to have his own ipad, I will assure you that he will be working with it on a daily basis. Thank you in advance and good luck to all.
Sincerely,
Rachael Beesinger
My son chase was born with some brain problems that affect his speech. He is a really bright boy and is making great progress but still struggle with speech. We have taught him some signs but it is still frustrating for him. He resently started kindergarten and have some ipads. I think these are really helping him communicate better. We are just looking at one for home.
ReplyDeletemy son riley has severe apraxi and is stuck at a 2 year speach level and is the age of 5. he gets very frusterdated when we dont understand him. we are now still trying to find a doc to tell us what is going on with riley since he has other learning and speech delays. i think an ipad would help him comunicate with us and others so they can understand his needs and he may be able to play withother children and they could understand him too.
ReplyDeleteOur 3 year old son has low vision and an endocrine disorder that effects both his body and mind. He has yet to use words but can manage a few symbols, so I am hopeful that the ipad/apps will help him communicate at home and especially at school.
ReplyDeleteThank you!
Our son Connor is 3 1/2 years old. He has just recently been diagnosed with speech apraxia. It has been bittersweet. At least now we have a name to go with the troubles he has been having. It breaks our hearts that he is so smart (can work anything, can point out his colors, numbers & shapes) but he can't talk at all. He has a vocabulary of 15 words. We both believe that technology is wonderful. And we think that an iPad would give Connor new tools to get his thoughts to us. He has completely rebelled against sign language. We want to be able to be able to give our son every opportunity.
ReplyDeleteMy son Samuel is 2 and he get early intervention his OT work wth her ipad with my son sometime and he really listen and pay attention with the app that she downloaded, and that's really hard for him to do so to see him do that made me so happy. I know if had one with does learning app my son can get the help home too with me while he get with his OT and TSHH. Thank you for just trying to help kids like my son.
ReplyDeleteI first want to say that this is sooo amazing that you all are doing this for kiddos.
ReplyDeleteMy daugher Sarah is special needs. She had a right functional hemispherectomy, where the right side of her brain was disconnected from the left when she was 8 months old. She was diagnosed with Infantile Spasms, a rare form of epilepsy. With out the surgery, the seizures would of eventyally taken her life. She is now 8, and has come so far, but because of this drastic surgery, she is 100% non verbal, developmentlly delayed, like a 3 to 4 year old, she has sensory processing and sensory intergration disorder. She is 100% G-tube fed, She is completely deaf in her right and partially blind in her left eye. She is paralyzed on the left.
The one thing that we have seen such a inspiration is that she loves music and when she is verbal, she verbalizes like an opera singer. She LOVES LOVES LOVES music and MUSIC is the one and practically only movator that gets her going. She is soo soo soo very smart, so smart that she knows how to play like she has no idea what you are saying or asking her do to. But when she wants something bad enough, she will find a way to tell you.
She has all the therpies a kid can get, and her speech theapist just recently brought over her Ipad. What a difference between the device she has, and the IPad. Oh my lord,what a difference, her eyes lit up, she followed simple directions, and she taped where she was asked to tap.
If we had one wish... it would be an Ipad for her. I want soo bad to see her ASK for what she wants instead of us constantly guessing.
There is such a BRIGHT girl inside that body of hers and I know she wants so bad to come out. We want her to want to come out and show us what she wants, needs, when she hurts, when she needs comfort, or just wants to do what ever it is at that moment. I am unable to work because of all the constant issues that occur, plus she has a twin sister that is extremely typical, to take care of. Plus we are on a practically living off 1/2 an income. We could save, and we have tried to in the past, but it just does not seem to ever stick.
I hope she can be considered. If not, I am sure there are others more needy than us. Thank you.
My daughter is a foster parent in a foreign country. She has 3 children who are nonverbal and all of them would benefit from the Ipad and app.s
ReplyDeleteWhile I could not offer a dr. letter, we could send you video of the children to prove their needs. I could also see to it that it got to them so you wouldn't have to mail i overseas.
If we are selected, please contact me at
stams.by.the.dozen@gmail.com
My little sister is 16 and she is blind. She loves to write story and songs. She also enjoys taking pictures. But with her vision problems, she has to have something that will enlarge so she can see it. At school she does everything in Braille, so it will also help us download her some apps that will speak out to her and also it'll would be helpful for her to text her friends. Cause the phone she has now she has to hold it all the way to her eye and hope it says what she wants it to. So an iPad would be great for my little sister.
ReplyDeleteMy brother is 5 years old he has been diagnosed with autism since he was about 2and a half years old he has limited speech and when he dose talk he uses Icons and scripts this would help him so much with his speech and behaviorial problems this would help him alot,thank you(:
ReplyDeleteMy little Brother Elijah is 12 years old, and has Aspergers syndrom,adhd,and is Bipolar, he throws fits and has problem making friends, he's twelve with the mind of a 6 year old, he loves playing games and challenging himself, I'd like to help him learn more things through seeing and doing and he'd love the many things an Ipad could help him with.
ReplyDeleteHello, and thank you for this amazing possible opportunity. Dylan is 2 and is hypotonic with mixed CP. He is using the PECS board system as well as begining signs. He has made tremendous progress with pt, ot, early intervention and behavior. we are not working on his sensory processing disorder. I have heard from many teachers/friends/family that the ipad would do great for him and his communication. He currently only has insurance until this aug. we dont quallify for any help with his equipment so as you know, things like a ipad is un reachable for us.. You are a amazing person to be doing this for a random stranger.. I hope life brings you great things
ReplyDeleteMy daughter Kaitlyn is 3 years old and has Cerebral palsy. She is very slow at learning and is a very visual learner. She loves her Aunts IPAD and if I could afford it I would get her one, but my other daughter has cystic fibrosis and her medical expences are threw the roof. Well anyway, Kaitlyn could really truly benefit from an Ipad. Thank you for all you do!
ReplyDeleteMy son is 9 yrs old. He had Rec 8 syndrome and has a seizure disorder that began when he was 4. Before he started having seizures he had a vocabulary of about 6 to 8 words and used gestures to communicate, with his seizures becoming more often and more severe he only has one word vocabulary now!! That word is mama, I feel that is because I am his advocate and his translator since he has lost the vocabulary he wad building on!
ReplyDeleteI strongly believe in the impossible for my son and other children with special needs and these children need the tools to accomplish the impossible and the iPad is the most valuable tool a special needs child should have.. it gives non verbal children a chance to express themselves in way that is constructive and extremely helpful for quality of life for them!!
I am a strong believer of quality of life for my son and I believe the iPad is a must have tool for quality of life...
I work and babysit a young girl with cri du chat. She has limited communication and would really benefit from working on an iPad for communication and fine motor development.
ReplyDeleteMy email is
Sarahelizabeth11@comcast.net
You are amazing for helping children in need!
Thanks,
Sarah
i have 4 children, all but my oldest has speech probs. for the last year my youngest son speech teacher has been telling me how much her ipad has improved his speech and that it would help,justin if i had one here but with being a family of 6 and my husband being the only one working i can't afford one on his 7.25hr paycheck.I know that justin surly needs one and this would help him with his speech..
ReplyDeleteOur son Nate has Cerebral Palsy, Epilepsy, limited speech and is developmentally delayed. He will be 15 on Aug. 13th, however he is verbal at the 1 year old level. Having an iPad with communication apps would be a way for him to "use his voice" and tell us what he needs and wants. He is very smart and is able to do a lot of things, he is just unable to communicate it to us. THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR DOING THIS! This will be such a blessing to a wonderfully made child. God Bless You!
ReplyDeleteOur son Nate has Cerebral Palsy, epilepsy, speech delays and is developmentally delayed. After much research (and trying another device which was too complicated to use) we have discovered that an iPad with communication apps is exactly what he needs. He is very smart, he is just unable to "use his words". He will be 15 on August 13th but has a vocabulary of a 1-2 year old. It would be such a blessing for him (and for us) to be able to "tell us" his needs/wants. Thank you for what you are doing.
ReplyDeleteCrista
casknittel@comcast.net
My son, Ryan, 17, was diagnosed with Duplication of Chromosome 7q11.23 this past March; we are still learning what exactly this is and what potential problems it could cause. Ryan was verbal, very verbal, until about two years ago, when he developed a severe stutter at which time we reentered speech therapy. Ryan made some gains, but his stuttering cont'd to grow and his gains started to decline. It is now to the point where I haven't heard my son speak a full sentence (without a lot of prodding and taking about a half an hour) in almost two full years. His speech therapist seems to believe that, because he was verbal for so long, he just cannot accept his sudden speech issue (stuttering) and is basically refusing to talk at all until it "goes away" which it most likely won't. She has recommended a program to assist him in communicating with his family as well as in school, which is suffering because of his non-communicating, Tap2Talk, for which I would need either an iPad or some kind of eReader device. At this time, as a single mother barely making ends meet despite working two jobs, that seems like a wish list that could never be fulfilled. I have never heard of Proloquo2Go, but it seems comparable to Tap2Talk and I believe this would help Ryan tremendously in being able to finally communicate openly, w/o having to write or gesture as he does now, and would help immensely in school as well. I would have no problem getting a recommendation from his speech therapy as well as his teacher and the school principal. If you are offering any more of these iPad giveaways or know of someone who is or some organization who is, please keep my son, Ryan, in mind so he can start communicating again both at home and at school and elsewhere. It is extremely difficult for him to accept that this has happened to him especially since he, at one point, was verbal and this is a very disturbing transition that he just cannot accept. Please help.
ReplyDeleteHi my name is Sonia I have a 4 year old little girl. She has PDD NOS until they can diagnose her. Right now I don't have the enough money to be able to purchase the things that she needs that will help her prosper in her education. I need help in any way that I can. Please help me help my daughter with an ipad or anything bigger then a cell phone or ipod touch to get her attention. Thank you in advance have a wonderful day.
ReplyDeleteMy son, Noah was diagnosed with Severe apraxia of speech, articulation issues, a phonological delay, and diminished muscle tone in his face and neck. He is soon to begin kindergarten, but almost didn't because Noahs abilities were masked by the apraxia (because of long pauses). I believe that Noah would benefit from an iPad would allow him more spontaneous communication, and to allow him to grow academically. Personally, I can detect that Noah would be so much less frustrated because he wouldn't always have to try to repeat what he says. Thank you for the opportunity.
ReplyDeleteMy younger brother Joey has Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, and Dandy Walker Syndrome. When he was born, he wasn't breathing. After not breathing for 10 minutes, the doctors pronounced him dead. The priest came in and blessed him. 2 minutes later my mom finally heard him cry. It was miracle. Because of this, he is severely disabled. We were told he would not live past age 10, however he just turned 20! He loves music, bright colors and anything visual. My little cousin has an iPad, which we showed my brother, and I've never seen him focus on something for so long and smile so big! It was an amazing thing to see. He absolutely loved all of the music apps. However, my cousin went back to California (we live in Westchester, Ny). As soon as the iPad was being packed up, he frowned. The touch screen was great for him since he has such low muscle tone. I have written many research papers in college about the effects an iPad has on a disabled child and learned which apps would be beneficial to him. However, we can not afford one. Please help. Joey would be very grateful!
ReplyDeleteHelloRinny@aol.com
My daughter is 4 and has verbal despraxia, we are working hard with therapists and hope for the best, but she it breaks my heart to watch her struggle, with her words. A simple thing as in telling me what she want for lunch is so frustrating for her. I believe this will help her express her needs. Thank you
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