Success Stories and Case Studies
Success stories are submitted to PRC by a person using a PRC device or their parent or caregiver. The stories offer information about their journey through life with alternative and augmentative communication (AAC) and their communication success.
Case studies illustrate how individuals with specific disabilities use PRC devices to communicate effectively. The studies include information from the AAC professionals involved in the therapy and the assistive technology specialist who is training or teaching the AAC device user. Most studies also include comments from a parent or caregiver. Video clips and language samples may also be used to illustrate therapies.
Case Studies
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Rosana Cruz
Rosana is a delightful and hard working nine year old. She has spastic quadriplegia cerebral palsy. She is non-ambulatory and uses a power wheelchair. She can vocalize some vowel sounds and uses vocal inflection, but has no intelligible speech.
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Benjamin Wohl
Five-year-old Benjamin Wohl lives in Torrance, California with his parents, David and Jane, an older brother, Jonathan, two cats, and a frog.
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Maddie Chan
Fifteen-year-old Maddie Chan lives life enthusiastically despite microcephaly and cerebral palsy. Affectionate and outgoing, she is eager to learn and very interested in interacting with others.
Success Stories
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Makayla Stormer
"40 for 40" Program - Where Are They Now? Makayla received her Vantage through the PRC “40 for 40” program during a celebration at the PRC headquarters in Wooster, Ohio.
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Graham Clarke, South Africa
"40 for 40" Program - Where Are They Now? Graham received a Pathfinder through the PRC “40 for 40” program.
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Adam Assi
"40 for 40" Program - Where Are They Now? Adam Assi received a Vantage through PRC’s “40 for 40” program. Adam will turn 11-years-old in the fall. When he first received his Vantage, he had no way to communicate other than through vocalizations and gesturing.
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Kim Vuong
My name is Kim Vuong and I am 36 years old. I was born in Vietnam with normal physical capabilities. I then had a high fever which caused me to have cerebral palsy. It was hard for me to speak to people or do public speaking. I grew up not liking to speak to people.
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Francis Evanich
"40 for 40" Program - Where Are They Now? Francis received a Vantage through the PRC "40 for 40" program. Francis turned twelve this year. She is becoming such an amazing teenager. She is speaking more and more every day.
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Jenell Gordon
Well, I say to myself, I am definitely out of my comfort zone. Living in a long-term care facility as a quadriplegic, has become THE major challenge of my life! I openly confess that I am stronger and wiser and my faith in God has grown. Yet, it has been a long, hard road.
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Matthew Darby
I am Carrie Darby and this is my seven year old son Matthew. Matthew has severe Autism and Apraxia. He is a very loving sweet boy. He is always hugging and kissing people. He was diagnosed with Autism when he was three years old. He had regressive Autism where he lost his speech at two years old.
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Jennifer Linder
I live in an apartment with my significant other, Gene, and our dog, Cocoa. I graduated from Allegany High School in Cumberland, MD in 1996.
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Michael Wight
In 2006, Michael Wight was in the care of his grandmother, Sue, along with his sister, Mackenzie. He was four years old and Mackenzie was just six. My husband was serving with the US Army in Afghanistan and I was working for Cornell University.
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Andrew Burgher
Five-year-old Andrew Burgher is one of those shining examples. Born with cerebral palsy, Andrew has little volitional control of his body and has difficulty speaking.
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Ben Fieber
It’s been over ten years and I can tell you I remember how it began just like it was yesterday. I was 33 years old and 20 weeks pregnant.
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Schuyler
by Robert Rummel-Hudson "Hi, my name is Schuyler." The first time I heard those words, my daughter was five years old. I had arrived to pick her up from her special education class at her school, and I found her waiting anxiously, peering at the door excitedly.
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Aidan Elliott
Aidan is three years old and has Down syndrome. Aidan has been getting speech therapy since he was eight months old. When he turned three he could say approximately 25 words, but no one could understand those words except for me and my husband.
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Shannon Barnes
The first week in February (2009), Shannon received her new VantageTM Lite... make that her new "Green Machine." Shannon was bursting with joy and wanted to share her excitement about the power, durability and "awesomeness" of her new Vantage Lite.
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Sef Zeleznik
We spent my sabbatical year in California and had the opportunity to go to all of the great open labs put on by a place called the Bridge School. It's an AAC immersion school for kids with CP. The Bridge School has access to the latest, greatest speech-generating devices from all companies.
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Anthony Arnold
I'm Anthony Arnold, an augmentative and alternative communicator from Grand Forks, North Dakota. I recently upgraded to an ECO™2 from an ECO-14. I chose to go with an ECO2 primarily because I like the fact that it has more memory, which allows for faster computing.
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Micah
Karen Dibert, once again, expresses her appreciation for what PRC has done for her son, Micah. Read Karen's thank you letter below. To visit the Rocking Pony Blogspot, go to http://therockingpony.blogspot.com. Dear Prentke Romich, I Love You Micah's Voice arrived today.
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Emily Nevels
Well, Emily's progress with the computer (Vantage) should be no surprise to you because you predicted it. I am amazed myself at the speed with which she is progressing. The ladies from Southern Illinois University-Edwardsville (SIUE) are just as amazed at her progress.
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Kyra Lovings
A Clinician's Perspective by Brandi-Lynn Greig Last summer, Kyra Lovings, an 11 year old girl with a medical diagnosis of cerebral palsy, was talking to me. She was not just talking to me, but to other adults and peers.
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Krista Howard
Krista has been a PRC favorite for years! She is a PRC Ambassador, serving us at conferences, camps and other places where people want to see successful augmented communicators. Krista's first AAC device was a PRC Touch Talker when she was in the first grade.
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Andrew Bowen
Like lots of eight-year-old boys, Andrew (Drew) Bowen loves to play outside, jump on the trampoline, and take drum lessons. He has loving parents and siblings, but also has special challenges that come with having been diagnosed with mild cerebral palsy.
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Maddie Sheets
Hello, My daughter, Maddie, has Cerebral Palsy and has little to no use of her limbs and does not verbalize. She is ten years old and operates a power wheel chair with her head motion and speaks with the Vanguard (we call it her "VG") and uses a TrackerTM (headpointing system).
