What a terrible terrible thing to happen:
Man in “coma” heard everything for 23 years
It’s like having Locked In syndrome – you can receive everything, but have no output.
Sometimes I think this is so similar to Nathan’s situation. So the challenge is mostly finding a method for “output”.
Thus far I have focused with Nathan on motor development, because I feel that motor development will also help him with communication – with better head control comes better use of an eye gaze device, or the ability to use a hand or finger with a computer screen, etc. Also, I’ve focused on motor development over communication because that’s what happens first in typical children – development through movement.
But now that I have Nathan in the right hands motorically, my focus is going to start shifting to communication. During these days in Santiago I am going to start researching and learning about methods of communication so I can start helping to “unlock” Nathan. I know he’s all in there. I just have to give him a way to show it. I was hoping that the Dynavox with Eyemax was the key – it just might be – but I was having lots of funding issues, plus I think it’s important to have a low-tech method available too.
I’ll keep you guys posted of what I learn.
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