Last week our class participated in an assistive technology lab with some speech pathology students from the University of Memphis. I was very excited to not only to learn about assistive technology in our field, but also to learn more about speech pathology. One SLP student taught a few of us the basics of using a Proloquo2Go Crescendo core word board to help nonverbal clients communicate with others. We practiced using the board, and I found it surprisingly difficult to use! I think it is very cool how people can use apps on iPads to design their own boards with words that they use often to communicate more efficiently. I found that the worlds of both speech and occupational therapy are very client-centered, making interventions and devices adaptable for each individual's lifestyle. Assistive technology opens countless doors for individuals with disabilities who seem to be in hopeless situations. I look forward to incorporating assistive technology into my future practice as an occupational therapist.
Pat Summitt is well-known for being an exceptional basketball coach for the Lady Vols at the University of Tennessee Knoxville, as well as being a coach for the women's USA olympic team. In 2010, Pat began showing subtle signs of dementia, but she ignored the signs for another year. In 2011, she was diagnosed at age 59 with early-onset dementia. She went to Mayo Clinic when she began experiencing symptoms including showing up to a game while leaving her car running and calling the wrong terms during the game. She also reported signs such as feeling disoriented when waking up in the morning. She reported that numbers were especially difficult to understand and deal with at this point. After her diagnosis, Pat was determined to continue coaching at UTK; however, after about a year she was encouraged to retire from her position as head coach. She then started the Pat Summitt Foundation to raise money and awareness for research about early-onset dementia. During the middle stages of de...
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