New Toys

Ainsley got two new toys this week. Lucky girl!

Her new AAC device, the Vantage. This is an older model that the school district had on hand. We got it just in time for the summer so we can try it out and decide if this is the right type of device for Ainsley. They provide a device to meet her educational needs but they expect that the child brings the device home and whereever they go in addition to school, so this will be "hers" as long as we need it.

Here is the primary screen. It's setup for 15 buttons per page, it can also do 45 when/if she's ready for that. From there you navigate to more pages that contain words and phrases. And those pages can link to even more pages. The device then "speaks" the words selected with the buttons. It's very very cool! And the big kids love it. Perhaps I'll post a video of it in action when we get it fully customized. I got the software today.

 

Ainsley started to get a little annoyed that everyone else was playing with her new talker. You can see how interested they are.

We tried out using a pointer made from a short pencil and erasers, since she has a little trouble isolating her point (she often has trouble getting the fingers back, although she did a really great point for the first time this week, see below.). Here she is pushing the button that says "I use this communication device to help me talk." Wow!

Look how great she looks?! If only she could point that well every time.

It even has a page for books, with the animals/words from "Brown Bear, Brown Bear What Do You See?" and Ainsley selected the animals on the pages using her device. I'm really excited to customize this device for her. It will be much more powerful than the Tech-speak she's been using. I think she's ready.

Later in the week I meet up with Steve's cousin's teenage daughter, Ehlana, who had a couple American Girl dolls she wanted to give Evie and Ainsley. Evie was so excited to present them to her sister.

 

 Ainsley's been jealous of Evie's dolls so it's really great that now she gets one of her own. She chose Samantha and Evie chose Molly. She also gave them a bunch of the AG books. 

 

 There was also a neat couch and bed. The girls had fun playing dolls together in the kitchen.

 

See how happy she is?! Thanks Ehlana! That was so generous of you and it made the girls very happy! We're going to have fun over the weekend playing with our new toys. I hope you all have a good weekend too!