One of the most memorable quotes from Finding Nemo was when Dory repeatedly said: “just keep swimming, just keep swimming.” That’s exactly what Enda and Valerie Dodd did when their twin sons, Conor and Eoin, were diagnosed with autism at an early age.
The medical experts said the boys probably would have to become institutionalized at some stage in their lives – but Enda and Valerie did not accept this and knew deep down the twins had the ability to do much more than what was expected.
So with help from Disney, Pixar and Adobe, the Dodds created a device to prove those doctors wrong and that they believe could change the world.
“There was utter confusion surrounding the diagnosis of our sons when it became evident that they were not talking and were diagnosed as highly autistic,” Valerie said.
Because of the lack of resources in Ireland that was available at the time to help the twins, Enda and Valerie decided to relocate.
In 2003, they left Athenry and headed Stateside in hopes to improve their boys’ condition. Their first move was to St. Louis where Conor and Eoin went to a speech and therapy school, but then later relocated to California.
When they noticed their sons were not progressing after using traditional methods, Enda quit his job and focused on thinking outside the box in order to help Conor and Eoin’s condition.
They knew their children had the ability to communicate, but Enda and Valerie just needed to find a way to help them do that.
The two used their skills from their previous jobs to create a software that would give Conor and Eoin some guidance to overcome obstacles they knew they were capable of doing.
“We knew children respond well and love Disney. The boys love computers. So we had to think of a way to use computer visual learning and have it become an aid,” Valerie said.
Read the full story in this week’s Connacht Tribune.
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