Two weeks ago we brought you the story of a boy named Matteo Castillo Almeda, a 13-year old autistic student at Horizon academy who is non-verbal and uses a tablet and voice app to communicate.
But Teo is only one of a few hundred non-verbal children in Belize, many of whom haven't had the benefit of a speech app. That means that they've been left out, unable to participate in the basic flow of information and understanding, unable to bridge the communication gap.
But this morning Autism Belize and Cellular world came together to give a voice to the voiceless by providing a brand new tablet and a lifetime version of the "Avaz" speech app for android to Stella Maris students Kaylon and Omar.
Cherisse Halsall attended the handing over ceremony and tonight she brings us this story:
Kaylon and Omar are students at Stella Marris. They're incredibly friendly, smiley, and affectionate boys but they have a very unique challenge in that they've yet to develop language.
It's a challenge that permeates every part of their lives, an obstacle to expressing pain, a need to go to the bathroom, or even to get a drink of water.
And over the years grandmother who is one of their primary caregivers has developed certain work arounds to make sure that the boys can access their basic needs.
Glida Leslie - Grandmother "I usually have a bottle of water on the table and I always keep it full so that whenever they want something to drink water or so, they would go and get it and drink it and when it's empty well Kaylon says one or two words and when Omar hears him he would say things too but the main thing is to have the cup on the table. When time for lunch or breakfast I would say, Kaylon are you ready to have your breakfast he never says yes he would always say like yes, he would always say no but what I do, I say get your plate then I know he was ready to eat, because if you ask him if he's hungry he says no, well he won't say no he'll shake his head so with this, with this tablet, it will be easier, because then he will communicate with it. With Kaylon if he would fall because he doesn't have that balance, he would fall and then you don't know if he's hurt because he doesn't cry to say oh with pain, so you don't know."
The hope is that uncertainty can be curbed once the boys learn to use a communication app on their brand new tablet which was donated by the folks at cellular world.
Avril Eiley - Sales Manager, Cellular World "We decided you know what, let's just give a tablet, not knowing and not realizing that the tablet is the electronic device that these kids need. So what we're going to do the name of the app is Avaz this one is specifically for android tablets, so we're going to have our software technician install that app, we're going to pay for it, it's a little bit over 225 Belize dollars, the tablet is about 325 Belize dollars, so we're doing a donation about 500 dollars to this family today. So what we will do the app will be loaded on and we will share with the family how it works to have better communication with the grandmother and these 2 boys. We thought we were giving away one tablet to one child and fortunately, there are 2 kids in this family."
One tablet for two kids, while many many others who remain in need.
And with just one tablet available in this instance, Autism Belize, the organization who facilitated the donation, was forced to conduct a raffle.
Christy Castillo Almeda - Founder, Autism Belize "Look at the amount of names in this box of kids, youths, young adults, like a have a twenty-four year old, twenty-five year old name in here who still does not have a means of communication and it's one of these things that really broke my heart this month when I realized how many kids have no way of saying, I'm hungry or I need to go to the bathroom, it's not that they are not potty trained, it's how do they communicates that they need to go to the bathroom, basic needs and it absolutely breaks my heart and so I had to pick one name out of 50. So, this is amazing but that's pretty hard too and so we picked Omar and I came here this morning and I saw his grandmother walking with two kids who are non-verbal and I said well at least we did two kids."
That communication will be essential at school where Omar and Kaylon's Principal says it will help the boys reach out and form much-needed connections.
Karema Arnold - Principal, Stella Marris School "You have no other choice but to fall in love with them. You see them as a human being it just requires a specific way, a special way of meeting their needs or reaching out to them, you don't want to say the normal because who can define what normal is. They are human beings and we have to just identify ways of reaching out to them at their level and their level of understanding and be able to help them to communicate back to us as well but when you come in contact with these two boys Omar and Kaylon, even though they might not have speech, their gestures, hugging, waving, so they are like any other child out there who wants love."
And it's that love and connection that Autism Belize is striving to give to every non-verbal child.
Christy Castillo Almeda "There is no way i'm getting rid of this box because we have you know 48 more kids that I know of and this is mainly Belize, there are other districts and villages I don't know about yet but I got to start somewhere and so I am looking for 49 more tablets and the app to help give these kids a voice. Everyone sould be able to express their basic needs, I need to go to the bathroom, I am hungry, I am tired, I feel frustrated, every child, 2, 5, 15, 25, 40 should be able to do that."
And if you or your businesses would like to help any of the other names in that box to have a voice you can contact Christy Castillo Almeda and her organization Autism Belize at 613-4170.
