Brain Power with Dr. Eko

How Communication Devices Help Kids and Adults Speak | Cambri McCoy

• Dr. Hokehe Eko

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0:00 | 17:30

What is AAC, and how can communication devices help children and adults who struggle with speech?

In this episode of Brain Power with Dr. Eko, Dr. Eko speaks with Cambri McCoy, a doctor of physical therapy and Solutions Consultant with Tobii Dynavox, about how augmentative and alternative communication, also known as AAC, helps individuals express their needs, thoughts, and emotions more effectively. They discuss who can benefit from AAC, including children with autism, apraxia, and other communication challenges, and they address common myths around speech devices, including the fear that AAC will delay talking.

This conversation also explains the difference between low-tech and high-tech AAC, how insurance and funding may work, how early children can start, and why communication devices should be seen as a voice rather than just another screen.

This episode is especially helpful for parents, therapists, and caregivers looking for practical guidance on speech support, autism communication tools, and AAC devices for kids and adults.

Listen to the full episode on your favorite podcast platform and check out the video version on our YouTube channel!

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Welcome And Guest Introduction

SPEAKER_00

Different than the other one we did, okay. Okay, everybody, hello, we're live. Thank you so much for being here. Welcome to another episode of Repower with Dr. Echo. I have an amazing guest, and I know I say that every week, but yes, this guest is really amazing. Uh so without further ado, I'm gonna introduce Dr. Cambri McCoy, who's a doctor of physical therapy, and doing amazing work with our children with autism, helping them improve their speech. And so, let's can you please introduce yourself to our audience?

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely. Thank you for having me. I'm so excited for this opportunity. My name is Cambry. As Dr. Echo said, I have been a physical therapist. Uh June will make nine years, but recently in November of 2025, I transitioned my role and I am now a solutions consultant with a company called Toby Dynavox, and we provide AAC solutions, not only for children, but children and adults who have difficulty communicating for a gamut of reasons and diagnosis.

SPEAKER_00

Wonderful. So we're gonna start at the foundation. So for parents listening, if you're ever wondered, how would my child's speech be would my child's speech be improved with an AAC device? What is an AAC device? Like let's just start at the bottom, right? Just so we can help and then build up from there so we can help our parents know,

What AAC Means In Real Life

SPEAKER_00

empower them to know what's available to help their children succeed.

SPEAKER_01

Absolutely. So AAC is augmented and alternative communication. Uh, it is a way for your child to be able to communicate their needs, wants, desires, their thoughts, whatever it may be, be able to communicate those things with you. Um what was the other part of your question, Daphne Gao?

SPEAKER_00

So I said, okay, so tell us what the device is, and how can parents determine if their child will will um will do well with having an AAC device, even if nobody has ever told you that before.

SPEAKER_01

So yeah, AAC is there's there's different types. There's low tech and there's high tech, but research has shown that any child with any communication deficit, whether it's their nonverbal or whether they maybe have apraxia, research has shown that about 89% of people who use AAC, their speech improves. 11% of people, their speech stays the same. But no no persons, no uh, no child, no adult gets worse due to the use of AAC. So it's absolutely worth the risk in trying it. Um, and honestly, there may be a financial risk depending on insurance, but other than that, there is no risk to trying AAC with your child, whether that's having little, even like the alphabet, uh the magnet alphabet on your refrigerator and having words on there, and they can point to different words, or having pictures and symbols around the house, or they can point to that want water. That is a form of low-tech AAC. Um, and then it just gets more more high-tech when you have a device in order to communicate even more thoughts on the higher level.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, wonderful. So, can you walk us through how the devices you mentioned?

SPEAKER_01

Apraxia, can you tell our listeners what do you mean by apraxia and how yeah, how does that apply for yeah, apraxia of speech is when the brain has difficulty connecting with the motor processing. So the the brain knows what it wants to say, but the mouth has trouble coordinating the muscles in order to get those words out. And so, kids with apraxia, when you're using AAC,

Low Tech Versus High Tech

SPEAKER_01

especially high-tech AAC, and you're you're using words and you're clicking bubbles is a big one, or you're clicking on water, they're they're hearing that word more, and just by that auditory feedback, you're getting more input into that, that sensory input into that child, and it helps them to be able to practice more in using those words that they use so often.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, wonderful. So you also mentioned insurance. Does that mean that AAC devices, that's the only way you can get it, is through insurance, or how does that work?

SPEAKER_01

No, insurance is a big factor. You can, like most things, you can pay out right for these devices if you want to. Um at Toby Data Box, we call it direct bill. And so you can pay out right for the devices, but many insurance companies will cover the cost of the devices, uh, which we usually go that route

Apraxia And Why AAC Helps

SPEAKER_01

first to see if your insurance covers it. Um, if they do, how much do they cover? Um, if they only cover partial, then we look for grants and things of that nature to see if we can help you uh pay for the remaining, sometimes it's like a remaining 20% of the device. Um, so insurance is definitely a big factor, but a lot of them do cover speech generating devices.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, wonderful. So, in your experience uh working with kids and assisting them with getting the devices, what have you what have you found? Um I'm I'm this question I'm about to ask, I'm sure it's child dependent. I was gonna say, but every child is different. But I'm gonna ask anyway. So, like, how soon do you start to see a turnaround with um improvement in the ability to communicate?

SPEAKER_01

Man, Dr. Echo. Even yesterday, I had the most precious little girl, and people think, oh, I don't want to start too soon, or or you don't start whenever. This little girl was probably like one and a half. I know she wasn't quite two yet, and I know she was over one, so we're gonna call her one and a half. And she was able to select bubbles,

Insurance Coverage And Funding Options

SPEAKER_01

and you knew she was intentionally selecting bubbles because then as soon as she gets it, she's looking up and then she smiles and she gets her bubbles. Um, I've had one child who had he was diagnosed with level three autism. Excuse me, the daughter, his sister was diagnosed with level two autism. So she has a few words in there, but she went and we went through one of our motor plan paces and she connected the dots within like five minutes. So these kids catch it. I I am shocked because in my therapy career I've never worked with kids, and so working with kids now, I get so shocked at how quickly they pick up these things. It does not take long at all, and then there's ways to grow their language so that they're not overwhelmed in the beginning, but you can grow their language a little bit at a time, and it it varies to answer your question. It varies, but um, it is just so amazing to see what they are able to do in a short amount of time, usually.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, yes. So for those parents who are listening and maybe you're hesitant to try, and is there do parents do parents fear that their children will get dependent on the device? Is that a thing?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, that is a big myth that oh, if they use this device, they'll never talk. That is just a myth. Um, AAC only improves their again that sensory input, so they're having access to more words and they have more words available to them, but it gets them practicing. And even my little girl yesterday. She was pressing bubbles, but she was also saying buff. And she was getting that every now and then she say buh, buh, like bubbles. And so every now and then she gets it out. But because verbal communication is still faster than AAC, kids want that immediate feedback. So if we're using AAC, um, they're still going to be inclined to want to verbally communicate as well.

SPEAKER_00

Okay,

How Fast Kids Can Learn

SPEAKER_00

so for the parents watching who doesn't who their first language isn't English, AAC is available in different languages?

SPEAKER_01

Is it Yes? And we have we have a lot of different languages that tell you that about. So we just came out with a lot of new languages uh for specific page sets and different things, but we have English, Spanish, uh Mandak, Mandarin, Portuguese, um, French, German, Dutch. If I said that right. There are so many different languages, and we even have because Spanish is so common in my area, I'm in Oklahoma, we do have page sets that are already set to be bilingual so that you can switch in the middle of a sentence, you can switch between English and Spanish. So there are lots of different uh languages available within our software.

SPEAKER_00

Okay, wonderful. So I love that you that's that's wonderful, right? Because we want kids. I tell parents kids can learn as many languages, like hit them up with 10. All right, how many do you want them to learn? Because their brains are simply like sponges. I'm still trying to do my my Spanglish, so I need I need I'm talking to myself, I need to do better. But yes, if your kids, if you have kids, younger kids, let them learn as many languages as possible. And so, yeah, that's wonderful.

SPEAKER_01

Because now you're gonna speak into you in another language.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, yes, absolutely, and that's so cool that they can hear words in different languages, and it's it only helps with their brain processing. So, what other myths do parents have with regards to devices that we we you think it's important for us to address?

SPEAKER_01

Yeah, so another one we talk a little bit about it, is financing. Oh, I can't afford it. Um, another one is I can't start too

Myths About Dependence And Screens

SPEAKER_01

soon because you know there's so little, or I don't want them to get a big one is I don't want them to get attached to this device and they're looking at technology. But we really have to keep in mind that this is yes, it's technology, but this is not scrolling on Instagram. This is their voice. And for people who are verbal communicators, we have our voice 24-7. And so we want to make sure that their device is their voice and they have it with them. They have access to their voice 24-7. So, what some parents and families will do, and it it works for some and not for others, but for some, they will have their voice, their speech device, and then they'll have a separate iPad or tablet for um games and scroll on the internet or what have you. But that's another big myth is that oh, I don't want them sitting in front of a screen every day. Um, but it's just important to remember that it's their voice.

SPEAKER_00

It's their voice. Yeah, wonderful. So thank you so much for sharing all of this. So, for parents listening, if your child is non-verbal or your child has a has been diagnosed with apraxia, this is something that definitely can help your child improve their communication. You heard her say it's their voice as their own as their own human voice comes through. They are learning in the meantime and they can communicate their needs, which of course will definitely decrease frustration on their part and on your part, because now both of you can communicate, the bond is stronger, right? And and healing takes place faster. So tell parents where they can find out more about your AAC devices.

SPEAKER_01

Before I answer that, I do want to say we have tons of voices, and we just came out with a bunch of new voices, too. So if you have a son or a daughter, or you know, they're a teenager, or maybe they're two or three, we have voices for different age ranges for different genders as well. So you can really customize that uh too. That's

Languages And Voices You Can Choose

SPEAKER_01

cool. So, yeah, that's pretty awesome as well. Um, to get a device, if we're going through insurance, it does have to be it does have to be recommended by a speech therapist. So get with your local speech therapist. That speech therapist can write up an evaluation. Again, our company is called Toby Dynavox, and you can find lots and tons of resources on TobyDynavox.com. On the contact us tab, there's also an area where you can find your local solutions consultant, or you can put in your zip code and find the email and um find the email and phone number connected to that consultant and get in touch with them and say, hey, this is what's going on with my child. I take this speech therapist, and you can have a speech therapist reach out to us. We will come out to that appointment, meet with you and the speech therapist. We can bring our devices to that appointment, and during that appointment, we just try different things out. Any success looks like them looking at a device. Success looks like them touching anybody, even if they perseverate on a button. A lot of families are like, he keeps touching this button. It's okay. It's okay. Um let them perseverate and try to reiterate things like that. But um, success comes in many forms and it's not 100%, it's not perfect. Even our neurotypical children, they don't get it right 100% as they're learning the new language. So we just have to be cognizant that it's a learning process, and success looks different from child to child. But there's lots of different resources. Get an account at mytobydynavox.com and um explore all of our courses and our learning hub. We're getting a revamp in a few weeks, a few days,

How To Get Evaluated And Support

SPEAKER_01

I think. Next week, we're getting a revamp of our learning hub. So it'll be really nice, user-friendly to have access to that. So yeah.

SPEAKER_00

Wonderful. I love it. I love you. That's funny. Okay, great. And just one thing I wanted to say based on what you said. Success looks different, and please celebrate everything everything that's going in the right direction. Celebrate because that is so critical. Your children will be more encouraged to continue in the path, the progress that they are making, and so and it helps your you your heart too as a parent, right? When you recognize, when you stop, stop and smell the roses and see the progress versus oh my goodness, nothing is changing. Like, what was different today than it was yesterday, right? And that's what we want to focus on. So, thank you so much for sharing about where to contact you and parents. This is not out of your reach, it's absolutely possible. All things are possible. You heard her say if you don't have insurance, they won't cover the full thing. There's grants, there's other ways that they will work with you to help you figure out how to get the device. So please don't hesitate. So wonderful! Thank you so much again for coming on here.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you for having me.

SPEAKER_00

So thanks. My pleasure. What's one last tip you want to leave for parents before we go?

SPEAKER_01

Oh, uh, one last tip, breathe. Breathe. Um, that's my favorite tip for anybody. It's a lot going on, it's a lot to process, especially a new diagnosis. Breathe, learn, be willing to adapt, and as most parents do, continue to do what's best for your kiddo.

SPEAKER_00

Yes, absolutely. And remember, you're the best parent for your

Final Tips For Parents And Closing

SPEAKER_00

child. Your children are valuable, they just want to be seen, heard. So please take the time to focus on yourselves so you can pour into yourselves and also your children, right? Because we can't pour from empty cups as parents. And do I know that? Yes, I do. That's a whole other conversation. But yes, please do that. Please do that. Take care of yourself. And if for any reason you need an evaluation or you know someone who's waiting on a long list, reach out to us at GoPediatrics. If you would like holistic care to address root causes of what's going on with your children, constipation, their focus, their sleep, reach out to us at GoPediatrics. And thank you again, Dr. Cambri, for coming on here. Such a pleasure to talk with you.

SPEAKER_01

Thank you so much.

SPEAKER_00

My pleasure.