FIVE pieces of communication aid equipment have been donated to students with speech difficulties by a Northallerton charity.

Students at the Dales School, in Morton-on-Swale, near Northallerton, North Yorkshire, received five basic laptop computers, known as Liblaptops, designed to enable children with limited or no speech, or difficult to understand speech, with another way to communicate.

The Liblaptops are used for general and social communication, for example to say hello or to make requests such as asking for a drink.

They are voice output communication devices with 16 symbols overlaid on the front. Each symbol has a recorded word or message connected to it, so the children simply need to press the symbol for the aid to speak their message.

Alison Galvin, speech and language therapist at Rutson Rehabilitation Hospital, in Northallerton, said: "We now have ten of these aids in the Dales School, five of which were donated by the Friends of the Friarage for specific children with varying degrees of disability.

"The beauty of this equipment is that it has the capability of being developed and individualised specifically to the needs for each child. The school is very grateful to the Friends of the Friarage as, without their generosity, we would not be able to provide this much needed support."