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Community Corner

Ballwin Discusses Banned iPad App that May Have People Speechless

An iPad app that helped a little girl communicate is gone, and a debate ensues that brings our services for people with disabilities around Ballwin and Ellisville into the spotlight.

Imagine if your child's key to communicating with you had very few options: one, retails for around $300 and the other ranges up to $9000. 

The $300 option for the iPad and similar technologies has helped several children with speech pathologies, but a technological lawsuit over a patent has taken it off the market. 

New Yorker Dana Nieder and her daughter Myra have become a sort of poster child for those affected by this, as reported by the Huffington Post

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Nieder is afraid that the lawsuit could yank away a tool that helps her daughter develop her language skills. 

Rhonda Banford is a private practice speech pathologist in Ballwin at Tip of the Tongue. She doesn't have direct experience with the Speak for Yourself application, but as a professional outside the school setting focusing on motor planning (expression), she can see both pros and cons for such a device or its less technological equivalents.

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She notes that every plan is tailored to an individual, but that it is possible that an application or notebook of pictures can be unwieldy and limiting in development. 

"Picture communication is best used when teaching a child about the give and take of making his wants and needs known," said Banford. "A non-verbal child will soon need a more sophisticated method of expressing himself."

A child’s needs and wants will often develop into the actions required to work towards speech. It may take a lot of work, but when children are not getting their needs met and have an ability, with proper support they often can move forward. 

"If a child has sufficient cognition, the attention and desire to speak, and adequate eye contact (to watch my mouth movements) but is still unable to produce more than a few sounds, I sometimes suggest an outside opinion by a medical professional with experience in movement disorders," said Banford. 

When it comes to speech augmentation devices, many in the past have been very limited. With the iPad, there seemed to be options.

"I think it makes perfect sense for the iPad to be used as a communication device, for those children who can be taught to use it," said Banford. The excuses about costs and cumbersome devices are gone.

However, the reality is that intellectual property is precarious ground and even when members of society benefit from software, it is up to the courts to decide if its fair to use.

The Ballwin-Ellisville area is lucky to be home to the St. Louis Learning Disabilities Association

The Association offers speech and language evaluations to assess children’s' expressive and receptive language. Several comprehensive sessions are key to detecting any differences in learning and to come up with an action plan to assist learning. Scholarships are available. 

"St. Louis LDA also offers many other services on a sliding fee scale or (for those who qualify) a scholarship basis," said Karen Thompson, Development/Outreach Coordinator. "

All are offered to clients at a portion of their actual cost. These include:

TESTING: Cognitive/Educational Evaluations • Speech/Language Evaluations 

SERVICES FOR CHILDREN: One-On-One Tutoring • Speech/Language Articulation/Therapy • Educational Coaching for Upper-Level High School and College Students • ACT/SAT Prep • College Advocacy • Summer Study Skills Classes

SERVICES FOR PARENTS: Family Advocacy Outreach Program • Parent Coaching • Crisis Intervention 

COMMUNITY OUTREACH: Early Childhood Outreach Program • Professional Development and Community Education

WORKSHOPS: Training and workshops are offered on a variety of topics for children, parents and professional educators. Call for a complete list, to schedule or to request a special training tailored to your group’s needs."

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