Application for children with genetic disorders

iPad

Children from Winston-Salem United States, Victor Pauca, aged 5 years, have gifts to open at Christmas. But he seemed to get the best gift this year; ability to communicate.

Understandably, Victor has a rare genetic disorder that inhibits the development of a number of skills including speaking. To help him and other friends are not lucky, the father, Paul, and several students at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, has created an application for the iPhone and iPad that alter the user’s hand touches a means of communication.

The Verbal Victor, a application that makes parents and caregivers can take pictures and record a phrase for their use. The tape was a ‘button’ on the screen that can be touched Victor anytime he wants to communicate. “A picture of the back yard for example, can be accompanied by recording the sentence reads,” I want to go out and play. “. When Victor touch it, so parents and teachers know what he wants.

“Users will record sound, so the application was based on the desirability of the child. Not to be robots,” said Paul. Applications that will sell for $ 10 at Apple’s iTunes store and released early next week, is one of dozens of software products designed to simplify the lives of people with limitations.

Category was expanded very rapidly thus put Apple needs to separate the specific list in the App Store. More applications added each week, stretching from Sign4Me, sign language tutor with animated avatars to ArtikPix, flash-based card-like application that helps teachers and experts talk therapy to increase the articulation of students to the words.

“It opens the contents of his mind to us, because he can show what he thought,” said Victor’s mother, Theresa.

Genetic disorders suffered by Victor called Pitt Hopkins Syndrome. Disorders that cause barriers to the ability, motor, and social development and ability in speaking.

Paucas Family therapy has been tried a number of tools designed to help people with similar communication limitations suffered by her son. But too often low-tech tools or too expensive, such as the upscale model that used the famous physicist, Stephen Hawking, worth more than $ 8,200.

Paul Pauca, a professor of computer science, decided together with his students to try to do better. Starting last January, they worked to create applications that can take advantage of Apple’s device for making communication easier.

The main reason, hardware is already available and some work part of the lecture, so that essentially do not need a direct cost for development. The prototype was completed late spring or summer.

“This is not operating with large capital so that it is possible for us to sell $ 10,” Paul said one of the students involved in the project, Tommy Guy who now earned his PhD at the University of Toronto.

Tags