Search XML with or without special characters

Hi,

Please i need your help: I have this XML:

<nodoPrincipal >
<content linkName="" url="" linkType="multi" searchableTerms="generación, vida, familia, ">
<multiLink url="cdw/day1/iAmFrom.doc"/>
<multiLink url="cdw/day1/iAmFrom.pdf"/>
</content>
<content linkName="" url="" linkType="multi" searchableTerms="casa, cama, ropa, ">
<multiLink url="cdw/day1/influences.doc"/>
<multiLink url="cdw/day1/influences.pdf"/>
</content>
<content linkName="" url="day1/Strengths.ppt" linkType="dl" searchableTerms="teléfono, celular, computación, ">
<desc><![CDATA[Strengths Finder]]></desc>
</content>
<content linkName="" url="" linkType="multi" searchableTerms="objeto, carta, mesa, ">
<multiLink url="cdw/day1/haveDoBe.doc"/>
<multiLink url="cdw/day1/haveDoBe.pdf"/>
</content>
</nodoPrincipal>

And this function to search:

//xml loaded above
function processSearchXML(xmlData:XML, searchTerm:String):XMLList
{

  var searchData:XMLList = xmlData.*;

  //if the node has searchable terms, add it to the list
  var searchTerms:XMLList = searchData.(hasOwnProperty('@searchableTerms'));

  //A list for the results
  var searchResults:XMLList = new XMLList();

  for each(var searchItem:XML in searchTerms)
  {
  //gets the attribute searchableTerms 
  var searchSplit:String = searchItem.@searchableTerms.toXMLString();

  //builds the array of " , " seperated values
  //so that I can have multiple search terms 
  var searchTerms_ary:Array = searchSplit.split(", ");
  //A list for the results
  var searchResults_ary:Array = new Array();
  //trace(searchTerms_ary.length +" searchable terms in node");

  //search the array 
  for each(var term:String in searchTerms_ary)
  {
  //if the record matches what I searched for, add it to the results array
  if (term == searchTerm)
  {
  //trace(term + " has met the seach craiteria");
  searchResults_ary.push(term);
  }
  }
  //trace(searchResults_ary.length +" results in node");
  //trace();
  //if anything was added to the array 
  //add the branch to the xml list 
  if(searchResults_ary.length != 0)
  {
  searchResults += searchItem;
  }
  }
   trace(searchResults);
  return searchResults;
}

With this function I managed find whole words, but I want to search for parts of words and search with special characters such as: teléfono   or     telé

help me plesase!!!