Tool helps autistic students speak

Alex is 9 years old and stopped speaking at two. He can't talk because he has autism. Sometimes mom and dad can understand he is anxious. Sometimes they can't. Alexicom Co-founder Fredi Lajvardi says,” It's very overwhelming. It's every parent’s desire to want to make things easier for their child. You don't want to see your child in pain or suffering."

So Pam and Fredi Lajvardi developed a new way communicating. Fredi Lajvardi is a teacher at Carl Hayden High School and an award winning robotics coach. He took those skills and contacts in technology, Got help from Alex's speech pathologists and together they developed Alexicom Tech. Named after their son, the internet picture based system is designed to unlock that frustrating world that non-verbal people like Alex experience.

Alexi touches the computer screen and the software says,” I am hungry. I want to eat…chocolate." Fredi Lajvardi says,” It's another way for child or student to have a voice."

Here's how Alexicom works. It provides pictures or you can create your own. The student uses the pictures to create a communication page and with the voice output, simply touches the screen on his computer, I-pod,.any device. It's designed for use at home, school, the hospital...on the go. Alexi touches the screen and the software says, ”I want to run.” Speech pathologist Staci Neustadt says, ”You want to run. Let's go.”

And for Alex, being able to communicate means fewer outbursts, less stress. Alexicom costs $40 a month. And the Lajvardis are talking with school districts across the valley to get the device in the classroom. But they want to stress the internet-based software if available to anyone, anywhere.

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