PDA Software Helps Kids, Adults with CP Communicate

A team of researchers based in the University of Granada in Spain have developed a software program that allows the user of a handheld PDA (personal digital assistant) to communicate their emotions and needs such as hunger or toilet needs. Children and adults with the intellectual or communication limitations that sometimes accompany cerebral palsy can use the new software, nicknamed "SC@UT," as an inexpensive and portable way to communicate, without being tied to a stationary computer.

Downloadable, Easy-to-Use, and Portable Assistance

The widely sold PDAs such as the BlackBerry, Palm Pilot, PocketPC, and Psion can download the SC@UT software. The University of Granada website includes a (Spanish-language) link to the new software at http://www.ugr.es/~scaut/. After downloading, the PDA device is immediately ready to be used for communication. The SC@UT software also provides an application for a speaker to transmit the user's comments.

Less Frustration from Inability to Communicate

Professor José Juan Cañas Delgado, the lead scientist of the 13-person SC@UT team, stated that "We have created a configurable parameter tool that allows disabled people to interact with their environment. In this way, their adaptation to a world full of barriers is much easier. In the present world, social and labor integration is impossible without communication and access to education." He noted that the disruptive behavior sometimes seen in individuals who cannot adequately express their needs and desires decreases when their ability to communicate improves. The SC@UT software is expected to be of significant benefit to such individuals, especially for children with cerebral palsy or other disorders.

(Source: spiritindia.com)

Does your child or older loved one have cerebral palsy? If you suspect that your loved one's CP may be due to medical negligence, contact a cerebral palsy lawyer today to discuss your legal rights.