Case Study Of Dharunika, AVAZ AAC User
Dharunika is a sprightly young 16-year old girl, studying in Spastic society of Tamil Nadu, Chennai. Always smiling and cheerful, Dharunika enjoys going to school. Dharunika has been diagnosed with CP and MR with Scloriosis. She also has Retinitis pigmentosa and mild power in the eyes. She understands Tamil and a little English. Her right hand motor control is affected. Dharunika loves watching TV, listening to music, coloring ¸painting. She is able to write with her left hand (by copying what is written elsewhere). She is very keen to learn English.
Her experience with AVAZ
Although it is barely 3 months since being introduced to AVAZ, Dharunika loves using AVAZ for communicating daily with her AVAZ Trainer, Padma, who is also a special educator, specialized in Multiple Disabilities. More than a Practice session – this is the time that Dharunika uses to express herself completely – sharing her interests, her daily activities, her thoughts, and her feelings with her close confidante, Padma. Here are some of Dharunika’s communication using AVAZ :
Daily conversations with Padma
Good morning. How are you? I ate idlis.I want to have hot food.I like to wear Jasmine flowers in my hair.Today is Thursday.We are in the month of May.
Her food interests
I will make fruit salad
Her other interests
I want to learn English
I am bored at home - I want to go shopping and go to the restaurant
I like AVAZ class very much
Her wishes / needs
I want a pet dog , I want to play in the beach
I want a pink and purple colored dress
I want my mother to sing a song - I want my mother to play ball with me
Her expressions
The rose in my house is very beautiful
I am happy to talk to you
Her feelings (with prompts)
I love my father. I love my mother. She does many things for me.
About events (prompted)
I went to my sister’s marriage
I saw your daughter today
Today a cat came to my house.
About illness / pain
My wrist is paining. I cried during therapy yesterday
This shoe is very tight for me.
Conversation with a guest (a stranger) who had come to visit her in school:
Hello. Good morning. Who are you? Why are you here?
Her Trainer’s Perspective
Padmavathi, also now referred to as AVAZ Padma in the school (due to the success she has had with helping children communicate with AVAZ), has daily sessions with Dharunika.
According to Padma, “Dharunika really enjoys her AVAZ sessions and is very punctual to attend them. She gets very upset if I am absent even for one session. After she has started using AVAZ, she has started communicating a lot more – and she also wants to communicate a lot more now. She also spoke to complete strangers using AVAZ, which she has never done before”. It has been observed that the regular usage of AVAZ has definitely resulted in increasing Dharunika’s intent to communicate, which results in a higher level of interaction with people.
Her Parent’s Perspective
Dharunika’s mother is very happy to learn many more things about her daughter that she did not know earlier. She says “I didn’t know that my daughter has so much to say. I didn’t know that she has so many preferences. She communicates much more that what I thought she is capable of.”
“She now communicates her preferences for clothes and food through AVAZ, and I try my best to give her what she asks for. She is now able to communicate her feelings of anger (because I had left her alone one day) which she has never expressed before. She used to communicate a lot through gestures earlier which has been reduced now, and converted to communication through AVAZ.
I am really surprised that she observes so much around her. She had observed a tree being cut in the neighbour's garden and she told the teacher about it through AVAZ. I am very happy that she has so much to say everyday about her daily life.”
How AVAZ Has Helped Her
After using AVAZ for a mere 3 months, it has not only increased Dharunika’s communication levels, and intent to communicate, but has also resulted in increased confidence as she is able to speak to even strangers using AVAZ, which she has never done earlier. She has now mastered all the pictures and their positions and is ready to graduate to the next level, the text version. She now wants to use AVAZ as a part of her daily life to express herself. |
