Novafon : "Local vibration therapy"
Partner
Open The Windows
Country
North Macedonia
Target
The educator was and is working with children with speech difficulties, difficulties with articulation, with no speech at all, starting from 2,5 years up to 7 years old.
Technology
The speech therapist used the assistive device called Novafon, which is multifunctional for the treatment of articulatory disorders and serves as a stimulator for the oral muscles (improving the motor abilities of the speech organs: tongue, cheeks, soft palate and mouth).
Experience and Outcomes
The device used in this story actually helps to children who have oral dyspraxia, paralysed nervus facialis, heavy and clumsy articulation. The Novafon is also used as a speech therapy technique for patients with dysarthria, rhinolalia, articular disorders, fluency disorders. Proper use of speech therapy massage normalizes muscle tone of the oro-bucco-lingual muscles. In terms of articulation, this device is used to obtain the correct articulation of the phoneme “R” for the users who have difficulties with articulation of this phoneme, so that this small ball is placed under the tongue at the villi and it contributes to faster stimulation of the vibrations of the tongue.
Innovation
The innovative approach in this story is that thanks to the assistive device Novafon the children with speech difficulties have achieved significant development in terms of articulation and speech.
Replicability
This activity was organized by the Centre for Assistive Technology as part of the Association “Open the Windows” and it is consolidated practice because the Centre offers support to children and persons with special educational needs through the use of assistive technology and educational softwares and the support is offered by special educator and rehabilitators and speech therapist.