I read this inspiring blog today. The last line made me think of my scientifically inclined friends! I hope it's ok to start a new thread here with this. I believe we need more research, brainstorming and effective communication modes for very high IQ folks with communication challenges. @Gauri03 @sokanasanah @justanothergirl - Tips on devices?
Dear @Laks09 Thanks a bunch for the tag. I will be monitoring the thread closely even if I may not be able contribute much. Gaze interaction and eye tracking is a fascinating area of research with huge potential. Eye Control Empowers People with Disabilities I have seen their earlier models and the more recent ones. Very impressive.
inspiring @Laks09 . @Swethasri and @Mehana chk this thread. couple of weeks back i read about something interesting while travelling let me see if i can pull it out. 8 ingenious innovations helping autistic children communicate And yes the eye tracking is such a wonderful innovation. I monitor functional inventions for disabilities and I am happy to see so much happening out there. the related article UW Scientists Demonstrate Direct Brain-to-Brain Communication in Humans and @Laks09 i am sure this would have already surface in your circle Innovative family changes the world for Autistic children - Kids Speak
Thanks for the tag Laks. Lots to touch on here, both in terms of currently available assistive technology for autistic individuals to future brain-machine interfaces that will eventually communicate directly from thought. For now, I wonder if you have come across the : prose app which pairs with Apple devices and uses gestures and taps to speak personalized phrases. I haven't studied it in detail but it looks like it could be useful for non-verbal autistic children. Prose: Swipe to Speak More in subsequent posts.
I do not have any knowledge in this area, but I'd say that Stephen Hawking definitely fits the description of "very high IQ folks with communication challenges", at least of anyone I have ever met. The Intel software that he uses is now open source and can accommodate many types of input. For example, now that his fingers have lost movement, Hawking uses cheek twitches as input for speech synthesis! See here for a non-technical description of the components of such a comm* device. * Anyone watching "Travelers" on Netflix?
Impressive indeed! I have a friend training her child with an app(prologue2go) and she says that even that isn't working out. The intent to communicate is there but the frustration with having to first understand all those icons is harrowing. Hopefully, one day, something will catch the child's fancy and it will click. I will forward this to the friend. Thanks!
Thanks for the UW study link! That's amazing and something I haven't heard of until now. I shall forward it to my friends, it's so interesting to use EEG to read a brain and stimulate a response from elsewhere! Thanks for the two newslinks! Of course, you know me. I probably read more about all things autism rather than eat food. I did read most of it earlier but it's still nice to read again! Proloquo apps are so popular around the autism community!
@Gauri03, @sokanasanah - I'll come back and read your suggestion. Time flies while on IL. Time to go!
I'm hoping this will become a reality one day. It's hard to see kids struggle to speak. I don't count my blessings based on other people's struggles but I thank my guarding spirit that we have words and gestures. It's still a struggle but at least we can get wants and needs out. No, I hadn't heard of this. This looks interesting. I'll research. I don't give my son a device because for him it's an OCD but a lot of kids play with devices all the time. They can use this to communicate!
Thanks for the open source link. I have to get in on it! Didn't even know of it's existence. I knew hawkins had a device to help communicate but I didn't realize the depth of the technology! Travelers - Nope. I have to look into it. No time for TV, unfortunately. No TV at home!