Nancy,
In a message dated 11/16/98 4:04:49 PM, you wrote:
>Where are you drawing your pool of children from for testing? Have you
>already chosen them? If not I would be interested in looking into the
>possibility of my son being a part of your program if you think he might
>be a good candidate.
Unfortunately, bad news but maybe also some better news.
Bad news: we are not testing or choosing individual kids, but rather schools
that are close enough for us to work with and who have demonstrated some
institutional commitment (by giving one or more staff the leeway to work with
us and to get a computer that will work).
Better news: This does not mean that you can't make use of some of our
projects' materials that might be of some benefit in helping your son get
started, and of the expertise others here are developing.
I can't say with any certainty whether speech recognition would work with your
son without an evaluation, but it certainly has great potential for some
students with TBI. I have just begun working with a 17-year-old youngster with
TBI (6-7 years post injury) who is just now learning to use DragonDictate
(DDW). His motor output, including speech, was affected by the accident and it
is too dysarthric and his tolerance WAY too low for trying continuous speech.
He has significant tremors that affect his ability to use keyboard, but DDW
has enough felxibility to adapt well to his voice so that he can use if for
dictating and for Windows / application access. Frustration / low tolerance is
still an issue for him, but less so as he can see the greater benefits and a
degree of success and independence in using DDW that he has missed for some
time.
You might check the Dragon website to find any certified vendors in your area
- they are usually trainers as well. Also, continue to watch this site and
listserv for updates on materials and the great comments of other
contributors.
Best of luck,
Bob Follansbee
BobMoshe@aol.com
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