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Avaz App
Avaz ('voice' in Persian) is an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tool, notable for being India's first successful AAC intervention. It is an electronic version of picture exchange cards, used primarily for children with autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, Angelman's syndrome, Downs syndrome, and other non-verbal disabilities. Avaz was invented by Ajit Narayanan, an invention for which he was on MIT's TR35 list for 2011. See also * Spoken * Speech generating device Speech-generating devices (SGDs), also known as voice output communication aids, are electronic augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems used to supplement or replace speech or writing for individuals with severe speech impairmen ... References Augmentative and alternative communication {{disability-stub ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Augmentative And Alternative Communication
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) encompasses the communication methods used to supplement or replace speech or writing for those with impairments in the production or comprehension of spoken or written language. AAC is used by those with a wide range of speech and language impairments, including congenital impairments such as cerebral palsy, intellectual impairment and autism, and acquired conditions such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and Parkinson's disease. AAC can be a permanent addition to a person's communication or a temporary aid. Stephen Hawking used AAC to communicate through a speech-generating device. Modern use of AAC began in the 1950s with systems for those who had lost the ability to speak following surgical procedures. During the 1960s and 1970s, spurred by an increasing commitment in the West towards the inclusion of disabled individuals in mainstream society and developing the skills required for independence, the use of manual sign language ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Autism
The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulties in social interaction, verbal and nonverbal communication, and the presence of repetitive behavior and restricted interests. Other common signs include unusual responses to sensory stimuli. Autism is generally understood as a ''spectrum disorder'', which means that it can manifest differently in each person: any given autistic individual is likely to show some, but not all, of the characteristics associated with it, and the person may exhibit them to varying degrees. Some autistic people remain nonspeaking over the course of their lifespan, while others have relatively unimpaired spoken language. There is large variation in the level of support people require, and the same person may present differently at varying times. Historically ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Cerebral Palsy
Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, stiff muscles, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be problems with sensation, vision, hearing, and speaking. Often, babies with cerebral palsy do not roll over, sit, crawl or walk as early as other children of their age. Other symptoms include seizures and problems with thinking or reasoning, which each occur in about one-third of people with CP. While symptoms may get more noticeable over the first few years of life, underlying problems do not worsen over time. Cerebral palsy is caused by abnormal development or damage to the parts of the brain that control movement, balance, and posture. Most often, the problems occur during pregnancy, but they may also occur during childbirth or shortly after birth. Often, the cause is unknown. Risk factors include preterm birth, being a twin, certain infections during pr ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Angelman's Syndrome
Angelman syndrome or Angelman's syndrome (AS) is a genetic disorder that mainly affects the nervous system. Symptoms include a small head and a specific facial appearance, severe intellectual disability, developmental disability, limited to no functional speech, balance and movement problems, seizures, and sleep problems. Children usually have a happy personality and have a particular interest in water. The symptoms generally become noticeable by one year of age. Angelman syndrome is due to a lack of function of part of chromosome 15, typically due to a new mutation rather than one inherited from a person's parents. Most of the time, it is due to a deletion or mutation of the UBE3A gene on that chromosome. Occasionally, it is due to inheriting two copies of chromosome 15 from a person's father and none from their mother ( paternal uniparental disomy). As the father's versions are inactivated by a process known as genomic imprinting, no functional version of the gene remains. D ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Downs Syndrome
Down syndrome or Down's syndrome, also known as trisomy 21, is a genetic disorder caused by the presence of all or part of a third copy of chromosome 21. It is usually associated with physical growth delays, mild to moderate intellectual disability, and characteristic facial features. The average IQ of a young adult with Down syndrome is 50, equivalent to the mental ability of an eight- or nine-year-old child, but this can vary widely. The parents of the affected individual are usually genetically normal. The probability increases from less than 0.1% in 20-year-old mothers to 3% in those of age 45. The extra chromosome is believed to occur by chance, with no known behavioral activity or environmental factor that changes the probability. Down syndrome can be identified during pregnancy by prenatal screening followed by diagnostic testing or after birth by direct observation and genetic testing. Since the introduction of screening, Down syndrome pregnancies are often aborted. ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Ajit Narayanan
Ajit Narayanan (born August 21, 1981) is the inventor of FreeSpeech, a picture language with a deep grammatical structure. He's also the inventor of Avaz, India's first Augmentative and Alternative Communication device for children with disabilities. He is a TR35 awardee (2011) and an awardee of the National Award for Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities by the President of India (2010). He is currently employed by Google, as a part of the accessibility team. Early life and education Ajit grew up in Chennai, India and showed an early aptitude for language and mathematics. He went on to study electrical engineering at the Indian Institute of Technology Madras (IIT Madras). During his graduation, he received the Motorola Prize for his academic and extra-curricular activities. During his time at IIT Madras, he was a part of the Institute quiz team, notably captaining the team that won the University Challenge in 2003, and editing the IIT Madras campus magazine, The Fou ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
TR35
The Innovators Under 35 is a peer-reviewed annual award and listicle published by ''MIT Technology Review'' magazine, naming the world's top 35 innovators under the age of 35. at ''Technology Review'' with lists of winners at technologyreview.com Background The subcategories for the awards change from year to year, but generally focus on biomedicine, computing, communications, business, energy, materials, and the web. Nominations are sent from around the world and evaluated by a panel of expert judges. In some years, an Innovator of the Year or a Humanitarian of the Year is also named from among the winners. The purpose of the award is to honor "Exceptionally talented young innovators whose work has the greatest potential to transform the world." History The award was started in 1999 as the TR100, with 100 winners, but was changed to TR35 (35 winners) starting in 2005. The awards are presented to the winners at the annual Emtech conference on emerging technologies, held in ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Spoken (app)
Spoken (also known as Spoken - Tap to Talk AAC and Spoken AAC) is a mobile application and augmentative and alternative communication, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) tool launched in 2019. The app was designed to aid individuals with Speech and language impairment, speech and language impairments like aphasia or nonverbal autism, using a combination of symbols, text, and voice output. History Michael Bond began development of Spoken in 2015, prompted by a need for modern and accessible tools in Speech–language pathology, speech therapy, as traditional methods had not significantly changed in the last 50 years. The project saw considerable advancement due to participation in the Start-Up Chile startup accelerator, accelerator program, where it took first place against eighteen competing startups on the 13th generation's Demo Day in November 2015. The app officially launched in 2019. Many of Spoken's original symbols were borrowed from The Noun Project, selecte ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Speech Generating Device
Speech-generating devices (SGDs), also known as voice output communication aids, are electronic augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems used to supplement or replace speech or writing for individuals with severe speech impairments, enabling them to verbally communicate. Aetna Inc. (2010) SGDs are important for people who have limited means of interacting verbally, as they allow individuals to become active participants in communication interactions. They are particularly helpful for patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) but recently have been used for children with predicted speech deficiencies. There are several input and display methods for users of varying abilities to make use of SGDs. Some SGDs have multiple pages of symbols to accommodate a large number of utterances, and thus only a portion of the symbols available are visible at any one time, with the communicator navigating the various pages. Speech-generating devices can produce electronic v ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
