References

Marijke: Mother of Jayden (8)

Jayden is undergoing treatment at Rijndam Revalidation in Dordrecht. He was already familiar with the GroovTube as he was adviced to do breathing exercises when his lung function decreased. So he practiced with the Groovtube with his therapist from Rijndam once a week. When we were asked if we would participate with the pilot of Ruud we agreed immediately. Prior to the pilot his lung functions were tested so we had a good image of what we were starting with. The pilot within we worked was 12 weeks. Sometimes it was pretty intense, Jayden admitted, to use the Groovtube, especially if you are tired. But even though as an 8 year old child he did not always feel like it, he and his father did his exercises properly two times every week with the Groovtube. With the iPad it was also a challenge to get better. After the 12 weeks, the results were satisfying. Jaydens lung functions increased !!! This was clear during the tests they did at Rijndam, but also at the hospital where he has been tested yearly (Pulmonary function test) they saw improvement. So we are greatly satisfied with the Groovtube and thankful that we could participate with the pilot.

Ruud, respiratory therapist of Floris (6)

In September 2018 I started a research collaboration with speech therapist Maaike.
Floris has cerebral palsy (CP). We were curious if we could influence his speech intelligibility via a period of intensive training with a GroovTube. Floris has trouble with his exhalation. The application of breath / voice coupling during speaking is variable, and in addition, Floris has a short breathing time. Because of this, Floris is not always easy to understand and speaks at a low volume and with audible tension. We were curious if we could change this with a short period of intensive training. Now, after training with the GroovTube for 3 months, 3 times per week (30 minute sessions), we do indeed see a significant difference with a number of values we can measure. The MEP (Maximal Expiratory Pressure) value has increased. And also the length of the exhalation has also almost doubled.

The phonation has also been greatly improved. Floris can now hold the
letter “A” for 8 seconds, which is twice as long as at the start of this project. He can now make long compound sentences on a single breath at normal speaking volume. Floris is aged 6 and is in the middle of group 3. He is currently at the level of end group 3 with reading of word rows?. I was pleased to received a most beautiful accolade from his mother Marjoleine: “We are still very happy to work with you and the GroovTube. On his birthday in April and on my own birthday in July, Floris did not manage to blow out candles. But last December, at Christmas he did this for the very first time. It has helped him so much. His speech, endurance (running) and I also think that his learning process in group 3 at school have got better since using the GroovTube. Because he can better control his breath, reading words aloud is much better.”

Floris has a GroovTube on loan through My Breath My Music foundation. In the immediate future, he will continue to practice with the GroovTube at home once a week for maintenance. During the next year (2020) we also want to repeat the 3 months’ intensive training period.

Nicole, mother of Folà (7)

My daughter Folà (7 years old) has been using the GroovTube for a couple of months and we are very enthusiastic about it. You need your breath in order to talk, which my daughter has difficulty with. We have tried nearly everything: Blowing out candles, blowing bubbles and all sorts of things. But sadly the problem is: if you can’t blow bubbles at all, you can’t practice it. A big advantage of the GroovTube is that You can change the settings, very easy ones too. Another advantage is that you can witness progress by looking at the statistics tool in the app. You can really see the effect. The GroovTube has everything in it: seeing progress, but also a variation in games. We wholeheartedly recommend this app!

Irma, a physiotherapist:

The results of each training session are saved automatically. This makes it fun for children who need to keep practicing on a regular basis.

Quezaida, 8 years:

I really enjoy making a selfie and then blow myself up in this photo. The game FairHammer is my favourite!

Marlies, leader of the recovery group

A lot of laughing and secretly a lot of practicing too is the effect of the GroovTube on our group. We have used the GroovTube in the group with a little girl of 6 years old. She had to do breathing practices to build strength she needs for talking and coughing. She has really enjoyed the exercises. Especially the photo app she thought was great. The other children loved the photo app as well, getting their picture taken, and then seeing themselves get transformed into a balloon or all sorts of dots. Making noise with a very loud bell was great, especially if you don’t have a loud voice to make noise. Even more so if we said in a (fake) offended tone: “Who is making so much noise?”. Long story short, the GroovTube has resulted that the exercises where done in such a way that it felt more like playing instead of practicing. The little girl had a nice experience doing something that was special, and the other children thought it was very interesting as well.

Karin, Speech therapist:

I have used the GroovTube with a boy who has a major ataxia to get more control over his breath. He got feedback about his breath with the help of the GroovTube. He also learned to breath out longer.

Maaike, Speech therapist:

With no other device have I got a child far enough to really hold their breath significantly longer. I mainly use the GroovTube on children who cannot speak enough words on one breath. Mainly children with CP with a speech defect. With the GroovTube I work on lengthening the duration of an exhalation, but also on leveling the exhalation.