Twenty short minutes on a recent family vacation undoubtedly will remain etched in Raye Lynn Davidson's memory forever. While sitting on a bench outside a Walt Disney World restaurant, Davidson and her seven-year-old son Adam discussed their plans for the rest of the trip. Adam bombarded his mother with a slew of "How?" and "Why?" questions like he never did before. Though it was the kind of conversation that can wear a parent out, Raye Lynn found a welcome breath of encouragement in Adam's ramblings. The brief exchange showed how far he had come in the communication journey that began when he got his DynaMyte 3100 three years ago. At the time, Adam was a preschool student at The Children's Institute at the Rehabilitation Institute in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. When Adam, whose speech disabilities are related to his cerebral palsy, joined a regular kindergarten class at Central Elementary School, he used the DynaMyte primarily as a tool for reinforcing basic lessons in shapes, colors and numbers. His teacher, Harley Allen, found the technology intriguing, so he teamed up with Adam's father, Scott Davidson, to program the device to reflect Adam's changing vocabulary needs. With the aid of the DynaMyte, Adam quickly showed that he had mastered all he learned in preschool and was up to the challenge of learning the ever-changing vocabulary on the word wall in Allen's classroom. The device also contained his daily calendar, phrases to use during music and art activities, and simple books to read along with his classmates. But Adam's favorite way of using the device was to ask questions. For a while, he struggled to keep a conversation going. "What he wanted was for people to talk to him, but he didn't understand that he needed to broaden the communication exchange," said speech-language pathologist Sylvia Hanna, who worked with Adam at Central. Adam tried to speak naturally, but his voice could not keep up with his thoughts and others often misunderstood him. At times, he didn't want to use the DynaMyte because the hand tremors that he experiences because of the cerebral palsy interfered with his use of the device, which he accesses via direct selection. With time and practice, however he improved his aim when choosing vocabulary on the device. Before long, Adam developed the habit of using the DynaMyte to express his own ideas as well as to show his curiosity. Raye Lynn Davidson was awestruck when her son managed to do both so fluently in that unforgettable moment on the Disney World trip as they waited for Scott Davidson and Adam's younger brother, Noah, to meet them for dinner. "I was thrilled beyond belief," she said. "For the first time in eight years, I was finally able to have a verbal conversation with my son. I felt that I finally got to hear my baby's voice. We talked all about our return travel plans and his anxiety about how we would get back to the airport, who would meet us in Pittsburgh, where my van was and how we would get to the van. It was as if someone had flipped on a switch for Adam. Something just clicked and he has been a chatterbox ever since." Soon to be in third grade, Adam has little trouble convincing others that he's not so different from other kids. He enjoys swimming, outings with his family, pop music, playing on his computer and reading, and participates in a sports league for children with disabilities. Like most people, Adam likes to talk about himself. The DynaMyte was helpful to Adam as he adjusted to a new neighborhood and school after his family moved to a new home last year. Adam's way of breaking the ice when he first meets people is to tell them one of the jokes programmed into the device. In his second-grade class at Hance Elementary School, he regularly volunteered for the "share" activity, which allows him to talk about a special accomplishment or event in his life. On the days Adam was scheduled to talk, he came prepared for questions from classmates with responses that he and his father programmed into his device. As Adam becomes a more proficient communicator, he's more confident in social situations. "The biggest change in Adam is his ability to participate in a group with his peers," said Peggy Moravek, the speech-language pathologist working with Adam at his new school. "He is now taking turns appropriately. He is not interrupting as frequently. Adam will ask and answer questions with peers." Last December, Adam sang with his class at the school's Christmas Song Fest, by selecting the combination of music and lyrics that Scott Davidson programmed into the DynaMyte using the Song Editor on the device. "We were so proud of him," Raye Lynn Davidson said. "This was the first after-school program that Adam willingly participated in without a fuss." The Davidsons believe that many similarly joyful occasions await their son in years to come. "We don't ask much for Adam, just his continued acceptance, happiness and success in all he sets out to do." (Pictured above is Adam Davidson, at left, with younger brother Noah.)