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SignSmith avator

portable, adaptable communication

by jennifer on 02. Mar, 2008 in communication - general, equipment

Talking and hearing. Two things most of us, including myself, can do without any props or devices. Which means I’m fairly portable – I can dash out the door and trust that if I need to communicate with someone about something, I can. I think about this a lot in respect to Owen. Not that [...]

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Owen in a Kids Rock wheelchair

new wheelchair!

by jennifer on 17. Feb, 2008 in equipment, seating, switch use, wheelchair

Several days ago, Owen was kitted out with a demo wheelchair – the same one I discussed earlier in this blog. It’s called a Kids Rock dynamic wheelchair, and has a special spring-like action that engages when Owen becomes spastic or reflexive. If he thrusts (straightens at the hips while sitting), the hinge between the [...]

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Switches

high tech. sort of.

by jennifer on 12. Feb, 2008 in equipment, switch use

As I continue to contemplate Owen’s capacity for choice-making (and his communication partners’ capacities for offering choices), I have not ruled out other options for communication. In a previous post I mentioned that he was very successful when using a switch-activated signal, which we used for ‘reading’ a book. (I would sign the part of [...]

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low tech vs. high tech

by jennifer on 30. Jan, 2008 in communication - general, equipment

Owen had his communications assessment meeting yesterday, at Bloorview Kids Rehab, and it was fascinating. It will likely take several posts to distill it all – but I’ll start with the most compelling stuff. I have been assuming all this time that independence should be the final communication goal for Owen. To be able to [...]

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‘Kids Rock’ dynamic wheelchair

by jennifer on 24. Jan, 2008 in equipment, seating, wheelchair

Here’s the website for the wheelchair described in the previous post, in case fetching the youtube video is too slow for your connection: http://www.kidsupco.com

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back on track

by jennifer on 24. Jan, 2008 in equipment, medical, seating, wheelchair

It seems Owen’s increased tone was in fact due to the clonazepam withdrawal. He’s back on his previous dose (after consultation with his physician) and almost instantly, he returned to his old self. What a relief! I feel much more confident about the quality of his communication assessment next week – he’ll likely be in [...]

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