Have you ever wondered if AAC teletherapy is useful or effective? We have some answers to this question in this case study. Join us as we map the impact of Avaz Teletherapy in a client!
Implementation of Teletherapy in a Non-verbal Autistic Child with Low Attention Span & Deficit in Imitation
Overview
The nonverbal autistic boy resides in Bangalore (India) with his parents and is close to his grandparents’ home. Primarily communicating in English, he also communicates in other Indian languages like Kannada and Tamil. He is a quick learner and has a good memory. One of the problems he faces is the inability to imitate. In addition, he is finding it difficult to pay attention and sit for a period of time. This is impeding his ability to study.
Challenges
The key concern was not being able to comprehend his requirements, especially when they were expressed in the middle of his tantrums. Difficulty indicating toilet needs. understanding the concept of pain and being aware of his parents’ emotions but unable to communicate them were other challenges faced.
Objectives
An asynchronous Tele AAC method of implementation to help achieve communication and social goals suitable for the child.
Pre-Teletherapy Avaz Usage:
The child has been an Avaz user 3 months prior to starting teletherapy. Spends 1 hour a day using Avaz with family and at home only. He primarily used his custom folder with the picture mode’s 15 pictures per screen setting. His customized folders contained Eat, Family, Activities, I Want, Numbers, and Toys. He could navigate to the customized folders and was consistent with his yes/no responses on Avaz.
Present Avaz Usage
After Avaz Teletherapy sessions, many changes were noted.
The child is using Avaz extensively and independently with his mother, with his therapist at the center as well as family members. Now, he uses the picture mode set to 24 images per screen. He is learning how to use the delete button to delete messages with physical prompts but has not yet used the long press to clear the message box.
Additionally, he uses the keyboard to type a few simple words.
He still requires verbal cues to pick up the device, turn it on, and access Avaz.
Avaz Teletherapy Impact
The child now uses Avaz independently and can express himself clearly without being frustrated or exhibiting tantrums. He has learnt verb identification (eating, sleeping) which has resulted in carrying out daily routines at ease.
To learn more about Avaz Teletherapy, CLICK HERE.
