Class+3_Team+3

**DynaVox**

**"The DynaVox Saved Timmy's Life"**
 * Introduction **

Imagine you are sitting in class and a teacher asks a question that you know the answer to. Because you are unable to communicate due to having cerebral palsy, you are unable to answer the question. How would you feel if this happened everyday in daily activities? In today’s classrooms, the DynaVox has led to many students being able to participate in everyday activities. Students who may benefit from these devices are those who suffer from cerebral palsy, autism, ALS, intellectual disability, stroke/aphasia and other conditions. Many of these students struggle with communication skills and need this assistive technology in order to communicate effectively.

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Definition

DynaVox is the leading provider of communication. It provides educational solutions for students with disabilities. The DynaVox is a communication device that is used for children who are unable to communicate. DynaVox has eight different devices that help target the student’s different needs. These devices are Maestro, Vmax+, EyeMax, Xpress, M3, V+, DynaWrite 2.0 and Tango!. Children who use these devices have cerebral palsy, autism, ALS, intellectual disability, stroke/aphasia and other conditions. InterACCt is the program that runs through these devices. The DynaVox website states, “InterAACt allows students to successfully communicate, develop high-level language skills and express themselves, in everyday activities” By having this device, the students are able to connect with others.

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**History of the DynaVox**

The Dynavox Mayer-Johnson Company website gave a quick background of the history of the Dynavox. In the website it introduces how .Gary Killiany, an undergraduate in engineering, was a student at Carnegie-Mellon University who also volunteered at the Rehabilitation Institute of Pittsburgh. Throughout his experience at the rehabilitation center, he worked with a young woman who had cerebral palsy. Working with her led him to the idea of creating a device that would allow this woman to speak for the very first time. With guidance from his professor at the university, Mark Friedman, the two teamed up to create the EyeTyper, which was a tool that allowed one to speak by moving their eyes.

According to the Dynavox Mayer-Johnson Company website, Killiany and Friedman later teamed up with Tilden Bennett to form Sentinent Systems Technology, Inc. Together, they commercialized the EyeTyper and sold the item to millions of Americans who were unable to speak due to conditions such as cerebral palsy, autism, traumatic brain injury, stroke, and ALS. In the 1980s, there were three generations of the EyeTyper that were marketed. After some time had passed, the EyeTyper eventually evolved into what is now called the DynaVox Mayer-Johnson in 1991. By 1993, the implementation of word and grammar prediction to the device allowed individuals to compose messages more quickly. Consequently, DynaVox 2, DynaVox 2c, and DynaVox software for Mac and Dos computers were introduced in 1996.

__//**More History**// __ Between the years of 2001-2005- Medicare began covering AAC devices. In 2002- the first keyboard-based device (The DynaWrite) In 2009- DynaVox Xpress introduced mainstream communication features and powerful communication capabilities for those with conditions such as stroke, autism, down syndrome, traumatic brain injury, aphasia, AL, and apraxia of speech.



 **Advantages & Disadvantages of the Dynavox**

During my interview with Cindy Baumgartner, a mother of a ten-year-old boy with autism who uses a DynaVox, she listed off a couple advantages and disadvantages of the DynaVox that correlated with Michelle Ogden's blog on the Dynavox. Some of the advantages being that it allows non-verbal individuals with Autism communicate with those around them. It gives the individuals a sense of independence because they can “speak” for themselves. Through a simple touch of a picture on the DynaVox it speaks out loud for the individual! The DynaVox also allows the individual to hear how the words sound and their hope is by hearing the words the individual will have speech production. Lastly, the DynaVox can hold many vocabulary words to allow the individual to form complete sentences. However, as any form of equipment there are some disadvantages as well (Cindy Baumgartner, personal communication, February 9, 2012).

The biggest known disadvantage by many is that the DynaVox typically cost between $7,000 and $8,500! At such a high cost individuals look to their insurances to cover the DynaVox but run the risk that the insurances may cover little or none of the cost. Furthermore, just like any form of equipment it will need updating just like a G.P.S. does and that costs more money and time too. The DynaVox is usually used by individuals with low-functioning autism who may become very violent and throw the DynaVox. A situation like this could potentially cause some major damage to the computer itself and those around for it is a heavier object. Lastly, some are scared that the individual using the DynaVox will become so dependent on it that they never will learn how to speak verbally out loud (Ogden).

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**The Future for the DynaVox**

DynaVox has come a long way since it was first invented, providing many people with speech disabilities a way to communicate with their families. At first it just allowed communication via email, text, phone, and in person. Then from the robust device, M3, they went to a portable palm size device, Palmtop3 and ichat3, DynaVox, and now most recently the Eye Max. On September 30, 2010, the leading provider of communication devices mentioned that in the future a software called a new speech platform will be created. Today this software has been developed and is called Microsoft Speech Platform. The software includes new grammar development tools and check phrase. Another of its tools is confusability which identifies phonetically similar grammar phrases.

Conclusion

Now imagine being in the class and your teacher asks a question you know the answer to. You are able to now pull out your DynaVox device and answer the question with ease. Because of the DynaVox and all the advantages and new devices being made each day, children are finally able to communicate or express how they feel. Now in the 21st century, more and more kids are being diagnosed with Autism and other disabilities making the DynaVox a popular device to use. Today’s society is looking forward to what DynaVox has to offer to them for the future.

References

Arghire, I. (2012, January 3). New Microsoft Speech Platform Runtime and SDK Version 11 Available Now. In //SoftPedia //. Retrieved February 7, 2012, from [] Dynavox Mayer-Johnson. (n.d.). In //History of DynaVo Mayer-Johnson//. Retrieved February 7, 2012, from http://www.dynavoxtech.com/company/history/> InterAACt. (n.d.). In //DynaVox//. Retrieved February 8, 2012, from http://www.dynavoxtech.com/interaact/ Ogden, M. (2009, October 5). In //Blogger//. Retrieved February 9, 2012, from [|http://www.educause.edu/ELI/7ThingsYouShouldKnowAboutWikis/156807 (Optional)]http://blueyedbabe07.blogspot.com/