We had a visit yesterday from a speech pathologist and her associate from Montana. They were recommended to me from the Elks in Boise. They are "gurus" in the augmentative communication devices. They hooked up a computer that had a program on it that actually could teach Jess how to do mores code. Our problem is still the delay in which Jess hits the switches and at times he is "just off with the angels". They also showed us a device that is called the Tango. It enables a person to speak through the device by hitting buttons. It is brand new and amazing. The problem with this device is it is geared towards a younger age and the voice is a young boy and it costs around $7,000. They are in the process of developing one for an adult. For now we are going to try a new switch that is called "Chickadee" or a "Step by Step communicator with levels". They both allow Jess to activate recorded messages. We talked about an eye gaze program but it will still be awhile.
It was wonderful to have such expertise in helping us decide the next step to take to help Jess communicate. Tracy, our long time, wonderful speech therapist, came over to listen. She hopes these women could do a seminar here in the valley to help other therapists see what is out there in the technology world. We will work on that one.
For us, it was kind of a sad day. There are so many ways to help Jess communicate but his participation is very limited and it is hard for Chris and I to see just how huge his limitations are. We live in our little dream world of this all being so temporary and when reality hits us in the face it is hard to deal with that reality. But, step by step, we will never give up and we will go at the pace Jess chooses. It is not about the destination...it is about the journey. I have to keep reminding myself of those words.
Fall is upon us and it is the most beautiful time of year here in the mountains
. We don't have to go far to enjoy the colors. Jess is horseback riding right now and I am going to pick him up to go to speech therapy. Our days go fast and here it is another month. It has been 3 years 3 months and 13 days since Jess' accident. Happy October...enjoy the colors!
3 comments:
Pam - I agree with you about fall being the most beautiful time of the year. I think it is one of my favorite times. Life starts to slow down and since we have less daylight, I love our quieter nights. Your pictures of fall colors are gorgeous - thanks for sharing them. Janice
Ahoy Mateys!!
Yes the pictures are beautiful, smart planting there girlfriend!! I continue to be amazed at how evreytime you go searching for a new answer about Jess the abolute PERFECT angel appears! YOU are remarkable! I continue to hold ALL of you in my prayers everyday.
You are loved Pam Matey, just hang in there~~ I know God's got a miracle for you.
Love,
Barbara
It's better to face the reality of your situation and come to terms with it. That way you can deal with the stress a little better. Because it has a huge impact on your lives and the lives of the people around you.
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