Communication Aids for the Non-Verbal Severely Handicapped Child, a Multidisciplinary Challenge

Abstract

This paper focuses on the particular communication needs of the non-verbal cerebral palsy child and describes several of the aids which have been developed to meet these specific and often highly individualized needs. A joint project was established through the combined efforts of the Occupational Therapy Department of the Montreal Shriners Hospital for Crippled Children and the McGill University Department of Engineering. Twenty-three undergraduate engineering students, as part of their mechanical design course requirement, undertook the design and implementation of communication aids for non-verbal handicapped children. The results of this project appear to indicate the value of a multi-disciplinary approach in confronting the variety of complex problems encountered in the clinical setting.