New Assistive Technology Devices Expanding Patients’ Horizons

MWPH Speech Language Pathologist Cecilia Jimenez and patient Adiely Sagastume Garcia use one of MWPH's new devices during a session.

Speech Language Pathologist Cecilia Jimenez knows her job isn’t just about “speech” per se, it’s all about better communication.

With a host of new tools for the department, Jimenez and her colleagues are now able to further engage with more patients. In fact, the Rehabilitation Services Department recently opened a new space on the first floor to store its growing collection of assistive technology devices.

At a recent session, one of Jimenez’s current patients, nearly 2-year-old Adiely Sagastume Garcia, used a brightly colored switch device to play her and her older sister’s favorite song, aptly named “Touch” by the K-Pop group Katseye. Adiely giggled and swayed in her chair whenever she triggered a nearby iPad with just a wave of her hand.

"We are all social creatures, and if the child doesn't have a functional way to do that, it can be really isolating," Jimenez said.

Adiely has some developmental delays and struggles with motor control. She is also visually impaired. All of these things can make expressing herself a challenge for Adiely, but Jimenez said she has seen great results using these new tools.

The devices are designed with patients like Adiely Sagastume Garcia in mind.

"It's made a big difference for Adiely. She has really started to come out of her shell more. She's more willing to engage and is trying to reach and explore new things. She gets now that she has agency and can affect the world around her, which leads to more vocalizations, more active movement, and more just general interaction," Jimenez said.

The devices were made possible thanks to a Way Foundation Grant through MWPH's Development Department.

Adiely can now use the special switches to convey simple requests like “more” or in Adiely’s Spanish-speaking family “mas.” She even took a switch home for a few days and used it in her everyday life.

Adiely's mother, Francisca Garcia, said she has already seen a difference in her daughter.

"The devices here have really helped her. She's made a lot of advancement, and she's exploring more with her toys at home," Garcia, said in Spanish.