Profile
of Success - Susie McLean
"Susie used to live in her own little world," said Kim McLean, mother of the active five-year-old playing a game with her brother and sister nearby. "We always suspected that the words and thoughts were there in her head, but that she just couldn't figure out how to get the words to come out of her mouth. We were pretty sure, but now we know."
Susie recently received a Vantage augmentative communication device, obtained with the help of the Therapy and Assistive Technology team at UCP. Suddenly, Susie's world has opened up before her. She creates full, grammatically correct sentences on the device, throwing in specific details such as the desire for cheese pizza rather than just plain pizza. This is a child who knows what she wants and how she feels, and now she can say so.
Cyndi Blair, UCP Speech Pathologist, has been a constant source of support and advocacy for the McLean family. With Blair's help, the McLean's were able to navigate communication devices for Susie. "Susie had practiced on different devices in therapy for several years, and we felt the time was right for her to have one of her own," said Blair.
Blair and McLean laugh together as they share the story of Susie's first major communication with the Vantage only days after receiving it. "She shared with us that she wanted to eat chocolate pudding," said McLean. "It was not just a couple of words put together, it was a complete sentence and it completely shocked us."
"Overall, getting this machine for Susie has been the single most important leap in her development so far," said McLean. "She has made big steps in the past, but this has been a miracle. Susie can communicate now, and she feels better about herself."
Blair speaks proudly of Susie's rapid mastery of the device, and shares that she will soon be moving up to a more complex user level. "Susie has moved on to the next level faster than any other person I have ever worked with," said Blair.
Susie was recently re-tested by the school district, and using her Vantage device she has tested out of the classroom for children with mild mental retardation and will join a mainstream classroom in the new school year.
As her new world has opened up around her, Susie's curiosity has blossomed. "Having the device has calmed Susie," said Blair. "She doesn't have to scream in frustration anymore. Instead, she looks for ways to communicate her thoughts." Susie is now also less self-conscious about trying to communicate, and her self-confidence in her own abilities has increased tremendously. Through UCP and her Vantage device, Susie has been given the opportunity to voice her potential, and to prove her abilities to the world.