By SEAN BARRON

By SEAN BARRON
VINDICATOR CORRESPONDENT
WARREN -- Justin Malovec wasn't shy about letting everyone in the speech therapy room know what was on his mind.
"Help me move to Warren," he wrote on his computer. When asked why he wanted to move there from his Poland Township residence, he wrote, "To fit my special needs, disabilities."
Even though he may not be relocating to Warren right away, many of Justin's other needs are being met -- especially his ability to communicate and be understood.
For the past five years, a computer and specialized button affixed to his wheelchair have made life easier for Justin, 12, by allowing him to relate to his family, caregivers, friends, teachers and others more effectively.
After he was born in Santa Monica, Calif., doctors discovered lesions on both sides of his brain that resulted in Justin's being diagnosed with spastic cerebral palsy, a condition that has affected his fine motor skills, muscle control and speech.
Once a week, Justin goes to Children's Rehabilitation Center in Howland Township, where he receives speech, physical and occupational therapy.
He spends part of each speech therapy session using a Freestyle MacIntosh laptop computer hooked up to his $25,000 electric wheelchair. The computer features a talking keyboard, which serves as a surrogate voice for Justin.
How this works
To express his needs and communicate in other ways, Justin uses his left knee to strike a special jellybean button on the underside of his wheelchair's tray table. That allows him to scan one of five rows of letters, numbers and punctuation marks before typing a message that appears in a space above. Certain words, sentences, pictures and phrases are pre-programmed to make the process easier and faster.
Before receiving the technology, Justin used a binder communication notebook filled with numerous pages of picture symbols organized into categories such as people, foods and basic needs, said Darcy Meadows, a speech language pathologist and Justin's former speech therapist.
He had to rely on others to scan the rows and columns with their finger, and Justin gave little more than one-word responses, Meadows added.
Since then, the computer has broadened Justin's world and has given him the added means to ask questions and better respond to other people, said his father, Robert Malovec.
Malovec, an auditor for Lowe's, added that he spends about an hour each day feeding Justin, as well as assisting him with bathing, dressing and other needs.
"He likes to talk while being fed, and I'm able to find out what's on his mind -- what his wants and needs are. He's started asking questions like, What is the color of clear? He'll tell you where the states on the map are, and he talks about what's going on at [Paul C. Bunn Elementary] school," where he's in the sixth grade and receives all three therapies five days a week, Malovec explained.
In addition to receiving help from his father, Justin also works with the Home Care Network. The Boardman agency provides a nurse's aide every morning to assist with many of Justin's needs.
One of his goals is to learn the meanings of some compound and complex words. Working on social communication and expanding Justin's vocabulary also are part of his therapy, explained his speech therapist, Lindsay Marble.
Nicole Cravotta, a certified occupational therapy assistant, said she's working to help Justin improve his fine motor, self-care and visual perception needs. The main goal of his occupational therapy is to get Justin to become as independent as possible, Cravotta noted.
Other devices
In addition to the sophisticated communication devices, Justin uses several pieces of equipment at home to build his strength, his father said. They include a standing device that is specially designed to place gravity on his bones to prevent osteoporosis.
Justin began using it in five-minute increments and is now able to tolerate being in the device for an hour each day, and while standing, he does arts, crafts and other activities, Malovec added.
For a half-hour to 45 minutes each day, Justin uses a bolster, a device that encourages him to use his upper-body torso muscles. The bolster also lets Justin use many positions for strengthening and for straightening his spine while letting him reach for various objects.
For mobility, Justin has a specialized pony walker that is similar to a tricycle. After being strapped in, Justin can hold onto a bar and walk himself, a setup that has allowed him to get around inside his home and beyond.
"I've taken him to Mill Creek Park in it," Malovec said.
Malovec added that he has modified his one-story, three-bedroom Kennedy Road home to make each part of the house more accessible to Justin and his needs and equipment. Justin has also benefited psychologically from the changes, his father noted.
His interests
Justin's improved ability to communicate has also let his family, friends and therapists know what many of his interests are. They include carpentry, swimming, woodworking and architecture; his favorite TV show is "This Old House," and a highlight for Justin was a trip to Boston, where he met Norm Abram, the show's host, Malovec said.
Justin also knows the names and makes of most cars, vans and trucks and has a collection of about 100 model trucks and vans, Malovec said.
"When we go shopping, he knows what he wants before we get there," Malovec pointed out. "For his collection, he wants the newest and latest models."
For the first six months of his life, Justin lived with his grandmother, Jenny Armeni of Poland. Armeni said she helped with much of the paperwork to get Justin on Medicaid and a waiver program, both of which pay for his therapy and other programs.
Before receiving the computer, Armeni said, she used a variety of picture books to help him to communicate.
The books featured illustrations that let Justin point to what he wanted to eat, which activity he wished to participate in and where he wanted to go, among other things, but did little to allow him to use expressive language.
"We couldn't get it out of him. He used maybe one or two words, but with the computer, he's getting better and better," Armeni said.