atschool Written by: Bailey Hemphill | Photo by: Rachel Stecker
To communicate and learn, Charlie uses a DynaVox. Charlie can choose pictures on the DynaVox, which then speaks the word aloud, acting as his voice. “Charlie likes the DynaVox, and like many four-year-olds, always seems to find and choose the funny pictures—like the picture of the potty or a silly face,” says Aimee. “Charlie especially loves his teachers, and in fact hugs them after school each day. [He] also has a speech language pathologist who works with him several days a week to help him speak and use signs and pictures to communicate.” Charlie has two older sisters, Ariel and Ava, of whom he is protective. “He gives his sisters hugs and kisses when they are sad. [And they] know enough sign language to communicate with him, and they use pictures to teach him things.” He also has two dogs, Lady and Rizzo. “Charlie likes to try to take Rizzo for walks in the house,” Aimee says, adding that he’ll put the dog leash around one of his Lightning McQueen cars.
Young Hero: Charlie Smith
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our-year old Charlie Smith was born with a hearing impairment. Although he is not entirely deaf, he cannot hear as well as most people. Charlie has to wear hearing aids to help him hear, but there are still sounds that the hearing aids cannot amplify for him—things such as blowing leaves or chirping birds. In addition to his hearing impairment, Charlie has low muscle tone, which means that he doesn’t have a lot of resistance or strength in his muscles. Charlie’s mouth and hands lack the strength that would normally allow him to communicate through speech and sign language. “It’s difficult for Charlie to communicate, even more so than other children his age,” says his mother, Aimee. But Charlie is not muted by his physical and hearing impairments. Charlie attends preschool at the Lied Learning and Technology Center, which is part of Boys Town National Research Hospital, with other children who are deaf or hard-of-hearing. The preschool has special teachers who teach the children to communicate through different means catered to their specific impairments. Like most teachers, they speak to the preschoolers using their voices; however, they also communicate using sign language and pictures. By using all three means, they incorporate “total communication.”
Since Charlie has difficulty hearing and has low muscle tone, he faces more challenges than a child without impairments—but he does so with a smile. “From a very young age, Charlie wanted to do things for himself, and through persistence and creativity, found a way to do those things for himself,” Aimee says. She tells the story of when Charlie wanted to use his dad’s iPhone like his sisters, and struggled for a while before eventually figuring out that he could hold his pointer finger with his other hand to give him enough stability to use the touch screen. “There was no other option than to keep trying until he accomplished what he wanted, which was to press the correct button so he could play Angry Birds!” Aimee believes Charlie is a good role model and a hero, not just for other kids but for adults as well. “Charlie is loving and goodnatured. [He] brings joy to almost everyone he meets because he loves to laugh and frequently has a smile on his face. He is focused and persistent when he wants to learn or do something by himself, which is most of the time these days…He doesn’t get disappointed when he cannot do things that other people can do; rather, he innately finds the fun in doing what he can do.” “Charlie is special just as every kid is special,” she says. “There is SPECTRUM no one else like him.”
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Family Spectrum and Omaha Storm Chasers would like to honor your Young Hero. Send nominations to Bailey@OmahaPublications.com.
• readonlinenow.com December 2011 • • • •
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