Speech-Language Pathologist Teaches Her Dog to Communicate Through a Custom Button Talking Board
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Christina Hunger, MA, CCC-SLP (@hunger4words) on Jul 27, 2019 at 11:38am PDT
Speech-Language pathologist Christina Hunger who works a great deal with children, has developed an ingenious way to teach her dog Stella, an adorable Catahoula/Blue Heeler mix, to communicate with her. Hunger feels that animals have quite a bit to say to their humans, but don't really have a way to do so.
With this in mind, Hunger first developed communication buttons for Stella to push and placed them in strategic places around their San Diego home. The very clever canine responded almost immediately and began retaining the information in such a way as to form complete sentences by walking room to room. Hunger then put all of the buttons onto a single board, which allows Stella to communicate her thoughts in one place.
Stella's current communication device consists of a board with three rows of five buttons on top. The buttons always stay in the same location on the board. Consistent button location allows Stella to learn faster and not search for words every time she talks. Similar to how we know where keys on a keyboard are without having to search for each one as we type, Stella memorizes where each button is"The buttons are arranged to allow enough room for Stella to walk in between the rows. Since she cannot easily reach all of the buttons from one location, I think it's important for her to be able to walk along the board.
This ingenious talking board is quite portable, so it goes wherever Stella goes.
We bring her device with us into different rooms and to different locations when we travel. Just like everyone, Stella deserves access to her words wherever she is.
Hunger also shared rather comprehensive instructions showing how to build something like this at home.
Teaching your dog to talk takes more than ordering and programming buttons. I'm here to help you learn how to foster your dog's language development so your dog can become an effective communicator.
View this post on InstagramA post shared by Christina Hunger, MA, CCC-SLP (@hunger4words) on Oct 17, 2019 at 2:27pm PDT
View this post on InstagramRelated Laughing Squid PostsA Hilarious Compilation of the Silly Antics Performed by Stella the Hind Leg Dragging DogWoman Paralyzed by ALS Can Communicate Again With a Speech Computer Controlled by Her MindBillboard Liberation Front Hits Stella Artois Billboard In New York CityA post shared by Christina Hunger, MA, CCC-SLP (@hunger4words) on Aug 22, 2019 at 8:58am PDT
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