8 year-old Andrew has Cornelia de Lange syndrome, a developmental disorder that affects communication and social interaction. On an almost daily basis, his family and teachers at school would see Andrew cry, bite on his thumbs and lash out as if in pain. But he was unable to let them know what was wrong.
But a new iPhone application Andrew uses on an iPod has opened the doors to Andrew’s mind: offering icons he can press like, “I’m hungry” and “I want to sit on your lap.”
Since Andrew started using the device, his mother has added eight categories of words, emotions, phrases, songs and sentences for him to choose from.
Samuel Sennott, the 31-year-old co-developer at Penn State University who’s been working with children in special education since he was 19, has changed Andrew’s life, and many other people’s lives.
(Continue reading at ABC News)