Meet Annie

Meet Annie

Annie has a diagnosis of dystonic cerebral palsy, with associated involuntary movements which can be distressing and uncomfortable for her at times. Annie is a verbal communicator, although her tone and state of alertness can significantly impact her voice volume and how well she is heard and understood by others.

To help this she has been having 1-2-1 sessions learning how to do breath control (“umbrella breathing”) by her speech and language therapist and communication assistant. This helps her significantly and allows her body to become in a more relaxed state to help with her communication.

Annie also uses a PODD book to communicate and can navigate and use this system well via eye pointing, but often prefers/defers to use of speech. Annie can create amazing sentences and has made some fantastic stories during lockdown using her new PODD book.