PANOORIN: Aso, nakikipag-usap sa amo gamit ang custom soundboard

Kayang-kaya nang ipaalam ng asong si Stella ang iniisip o nararamdaman nito sa kanyang amo — mapatungkol man sa pagkain, laruan, at tulog.

Higit 20 salita na ang alam ng 18-buwan gulang na Catahoula at Blue Heeler mix sa pamamagitang ng isang soundboard na ginawa ng amo nito.

Ito ang naisip na paraan ng speech-language pathologist na si Christina Hunger mula sa San Diego, California para pagsamahin ang pagmamahal sa mga aso at pagkahumaling sa augmentative and alternative communication (AAC), ayon sa ulat ng People.

Sinimulang turuan ni Hunger si Stella na “sabihin” ang nararamdaman gamit ang button board noong walong linggong gulang pa lamang ito.

May katumbas na salita ang bawat buton gaya ng “happy”, “outside”, “water” na ini-record at tutunog kapag tinapakan.

“Stella often tells us a two-step sequence of what she wants to do,” saad ni Hunger sa isang video sa Instagram.

Halimbawa, may mga araw na gusto raw munang kumain ni Stella bago ang lahat, at ibang araw kung kailan gusto niyang maglaro muna bago kumain.

“This morning Stella told us ‘Come eat play,’” aniya na ang ibig sabihin ay gusto raw munang kumain ng alaga bago maglaro.

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Stella uses language differently when she’s in a heightened state versus when she’s calm! • Today when she heard some noises outside and wanted to go investigate, I told her we were staying inside. • Stella responded by saying, “Look” 9 TIMES IN A ROW, then “Come outside.” She was clearly in a more frantic state, and her language use matched that. We all sound differently than normal when we’re in distress, Stella included! • I’m impressed that Stella is communicating with language during her more heightened states, not just when she’s calm and in a quiet space. This shows me that words are becoming more automatic for her to use. It’s similar to when a toddler starts using language to express himself during times of frustration instead of only crying. That happens when it’s easy for the toddler to say words, not when he’s still learning and it takes a lot of focus to talk 🧠🗣 • • • • • #hunger4words #stellathetalkingdog #slpsofinstagram #speechtherapy #AAC #ashaigers #slp #corewords #SLPeeps #slp2be #earlyintervention #languagedevelopment #dogsofinstagram #dogmom #doglife #dogs #guarddog #animalpsychology #doglover #dogvideos #sandiegodog #catahoula #blueheeler #smartdog #dogcommunication #mydogtalks #animalcommunication #interspeciescommunication #loveanimals

A post shared by Christina Hunger, MA, CCC-SLP (@hunger4words) on Nov 1, 2019 at 1:14pm PDT

Sa iba pang video na makikita rin sa IG ni Hunger na @hunger4words mapapanood ang ilang pagkakataong “sinabi” ng alaga na gusto nitong maglaro ng bola, tumambay sa labas, at ipinaalala pa sa amo na wala nang tubig sa kainan nito.

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Jake and I have been modeling the words “look” and “all done” a lot over the past few days, and it has paid off! Stella used both words on her own this morning. After saying “look outside” and looking around the apartment, Stella told us she was “all done” and ready for the “park outside.” It’s truly amazing that Stella has the power to tell us when she’s finished with an activity and ready for something else 💫 • • • • • • #hunger4words #talkingdog #speechtherapy #AAC #slp #corewords #ashaigers #SLPeeps #dogsofinstagram #dogmom #dogs #talkingdogs #animalpsychology #doglover #sandiegodog #sandiegodogs #catahoula #blueheeler #smartdog #dogcommunication #mydogtalks #netflixdogstory #interspeciescommunication

A post shared by Christina Hunger, MA, CCC-SLP (@hunger4words) on Aug 13, 2019 at 8:38am PDT

“I’m in constant amazement and shock. Every day she says something cooler than she said the day before,” pahayag ni Hunger sa People.

Bukod kay Stella, nagtuturo rin si Hunger sa mga batang edad isa o dalawang taong gulang na gumagamit din ng aparato sa pag-aaral.

“The way she uses words to communicate and the words she’s combining is really similar to a 2-year-old child,” aniya.

“I think how important dogs are to their humans. I just imagine how much deeper the bond will be.”