SLP Faculty Experience Technology that Aids Communication for ALS Patients
Gwynedd Mercy University’s Speech-Language Pathology faculty, Dr. Jennifer O’Donnell and Dr. Yvonne D’Uva Howard, recently visited the ALS Hope Foundation Brain-Computer Interface (BCI) Center in Fort Washington, Pa.
Working alongside ALS Hope Foundation BCI researchers Bartu Atabek and Joshua Miller, GMercyU's faculty completed trials using a non-invasive, EEG-based Brain-Computer Interface (BCI), gaining direct experience with the technology from a user perspective.
This technology uses brain wave signals detected from the scalp to translate attention-based neural responses into selections on a computer screen, enabling communication without speech or physical movement for individuals with ALS and other complex communication needs.
This hands-on experience provided valuable insight into BCI systems, helping to inform what meaningful future interdisciplinary collaboration between speech-language pathologists, neuroscientists, and engineers may look like.
It also highlighted how SLP expertise in language, cognition, and functional communication can contribute to future clinical, educational, and research partnerships.
“We are grateful to the ALS Hope Foundation BCI team for their guidance and innovation, and we look forward to continued conversations and collaboration,” said Dr. Howard.
This study is open for enrollment.
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