LINC Profile...Peter Taylor, LINC's Smallest Success Story
Since its inception, LINC has been striving to help individuals of all ages and with all disabilities increase their independence in everyday life through the use of technology. Many children under the age of three have been identified as having special challenges, and as research indicates, early intervention can often reduce the discrepancies between a child with a disability and one without. Knowing the benefits of technology, LINC embarked on a project with several County Infants and Toddlers Programs to bring the benefits of assistive technology to these children. The technology may be as simple as a single switch activating a toy or as complex as a computer with many adaptive devices.
Through the Infants and Toddlers program, LINC has become acquainted with a very bright young man, Peter Taylor, age 2. Peter came to LINC because his mother, Susan, was interested in learning more about how assistive technology could help Peter's cognitive development. Peter participated in many activities during his first one-on-one consultation with LINC's education coordinator, Denise Simard. In this session, he was able to use a TouchWindow to establish cause-and-effect learning with the RadSounds and Creature Antics software. Peter also found the Thinkin' Things software to be very engaging and was amused and entertained by the software's musical and colorful applications. While using Thinkin' Things, he would make vocalizations when the music stopped, indicating he wanted more music to be played...once again, making Peter an active participant in the activity.
As a result of Peter's success with the computer and adaptive devices, Susan took advantage of LINC's loan libraries to borrow a TouchWindow and software for Peter to use at home. In the future, Peter may benefit from technology to help him further develop his communication, language, cognitive and motor skills. LINC's goal is for Peter to continue to use assistive technology to help him become more independent and fulfill his potential in all aspects of his life. ® (Summer 1996)
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