Since this little one was going to the activities that he heard his parents discuss, the difference between his receptive and expressive language skills indicated it was time to trial assistive technology! The GoTalk 9+ has allowed this child to use spoken words, recorded in his own parents' voices, to communicate more directly. He loves to press the button with his favorite TV character, Stan, on it! He's babbling more and he is starting to verbally imitate words from other single switch buttons. There have been some magical moments, thanks to Tech for Tykes.

Childhood apraxia of speech kept this two-year-old from sharing his ideas or making requests using vocal communication. With a loan from Tech for Tykes, he started using the iPad Mini with ChatWrap and the Proloquo2Go app to name colors, request farm animals to play with, and tell others personal information such as his age, his dog’s name, and where he will be going to preschool this fall. His mother originally programed the phrase, “My favorite toys are farm animals and tractors,” but he responded, “No. Bulls.” He was so excited to use the device to tell his uncle and grandmother the new phrase, “My favorite toys are bulls and tractors.”

This little one has been benefiting from the AT Loan Library for the past few months. She started with trialing one BigMack switch and moved to using two BigMack switches to make choices. She is now starting to trial a GoTalk 4+ using pictures. Thanks to the AT Loan Library, her providers can trial different items and find the right fit for her!

Without an AAC device, this little one didn't have a way to participate in conversations with her peers at preschool. After some practice using the Accent 800 with Empower and NuVoice (Bilingual) from the loan library, she used the device to tell her classmates that her favorite color is blue while they were creating art projects together!

This little one trialed multiple communication devices from the Tech for Tykes loan library and found a communication app that works for her! After receiving her own iPad with the communication app, she sat down and started exploring on her own with much excitement. Her mom is thrilled that her child can now make requests and communicate things that other people can understand!

Before trialing an AAC device, this little one’s parents were having a hard time understanding her grunts and yells. With support from their AT Consultant, she can now use vocalizations, sign language, and her device to get her point across. They have seen tremendous growth in her ability to communicate, as she can now navigate through the pages on her device to find what she wants to say.

Borrowing a communication device from the statewide loan bank, allowed this young girl to communicate with her family as she looked at her books. The Via Pro by PRC-Saltillo has the LAMP Words for Life, TouchChat with WordPower, and Dialogue AAC apps with matching keyguards, which allowed this little one to trial the apps, then do a longer trial with LAMP. The vocabulary Builder feature in LAMP made it easy to focus on learning the motor plan for specific words to build her vocabulary. After a successful trial, funding paperwork has been approved by Medicaid, and this little communicator will be receiving her own purple Via Pro soon!

A customized AAC device (in this case, the iPad Mini) for this little one is an essential component of his development. It provides the opportunity to share his ideas and engage with the people in his life in a meaningful way to enrich others and expand possibilities for connection. Early access builds early success!

After working with a loaned AAC device for a few months, this little one started to love it. He can now tell his family things such as what he wants to eat for breakfast or what activity he wants to do. His family learned that he LOVES Playdough. Before he had the device, he could never tell them that's what he wanted to play with. The family reports that having access to this device has worked wonders for their family and they are grateful for the opportunity to trial it.

This little one has significant sensitivity and a fear of movement or changes in body position. Cushions and pillows were used to challenge her balance, but they allowed for too much movement and weren’t successful. The Balance Pad provides the “just right” challenge! The family reported that they can’t believe how willing their child is to stand on it while she does activities at the coffee table, even while dancing to her favorite Minnie Mouse songs!

The Gait Trainer allows this little guy to be able to stand on his own and gives him a newfound independence as well as a new view on the world. He is a curious child and loves being able to explore his environment in an up right position.

A family used the GoTo Postural Support Seat to keep their child involved with them in all of their activities. He could use it to sit in a camping chair or stadium seat to cheer on his older siblings at sporting events, attend dinner at a celebration event, or even sit in his own seat to ride on a plane! He never had to miss out on the fun.

The strap and bolsters in the Leckey Play Pak gave this little one the support he needed to start practicing sitting up on his own. The portability of the system made it possible for his family to bring it with them to sports practices so he could start sitting up on the sidelines to watch his older siblings and be more engaged with the other fans. The trial from the loan library was so successful that his family was able to get funding for their own Leckey Play Pak!

With the GoTo Postural Support Seat, this little one was able to go to a restaurant with her parents and sit at the table with them for the first time! She was so happy to be a part of the meal and to not be in her stroller off to the side. The device also allows her to sit in rocking chairs and grocery carts. She can even use the floor sitter attachment to be able to participate in play time on the floor.

This little guy and his family are very happy with their trial of the Splashy Portable Bath Seat! It has a variety of configurations and adjustments available to meet the needs of each individual child, including a 3-point or 5-point harness. The chair sits low to the ground for easy and safe soaking in the water. It also cleans up easily, making it handy for camping trips or play in an outdoor kiddie pool.

The GoTo Postural Support Seat has allowed this little one to sit at the table with her family at meals, and she can now play with toys while sitting up. Trialing different switches has given her a chance to play with toys she could never turn on previously. She loves the lights and musical toys!

This little one needed some help to keep his back straight when sitting and playing. Tech for Tykes purchased a SPIO Vest in his size to borrow from the AT Loan Library. With the SPIO Vest on, this little one is able to sit with better posture. The compression provided by the vest also helps him attend to activities for longer periods without having to seek out sensory input by moving his body.

Social communication challenges made it difficult for this little guy to engage in activities jointly with his sister. An equipment loan helped his team and family focus on the objective of finding activities that they can do together. His parents expressed much joy in seeing him and his older sister follow each other along the Sensory Liquid Floor Tiles while they giggled and took turns.

The Adapted Fan Toy is a big hit with this little one! She loves the air on her face and being able to control it herself. She is working hard to understand how she can do things with everything around her.

After trialing a few switches and toys from the AT Loan Library, the team determined the Ultimate Wobble Switch worked best for this little one. He can now play independently with toys, turning them on and off when he wants. He loves the Prisma Light, and his whole body calms when he watches the lights.

AT has really opened up new horizons for my daughter. She actually seems interested in playing now and communicating to me more. Seeing her interact with her toys has given me hope for my daughter's future, and I'm beyond excited to see what lies ahead for her all thanks to trialing AT equipment from the loan library.