Communication Devices for Nonverbal Children

My nonverbal son Matthew is almost finished with fifth grade. I recently purchased the Go Talk 9+ device for use at home and school. Prior to this device the Los Angeles Unified School District loaned us the Cheap Talk 8 device for home and school usage.

We were first introduced to the low cost voice-output device when in preschool special ed for three years at an Elementary school campus. This is where the initial AAC assessment took place. The Cheap Talk followed Matthew to his next classroom, as well as onto the next Elementary School until I just returned it a month ago.

The Cheap Talk had six levels with four icon boxes on the top and four on the lower level. It was a bulky item that was not easy to carry back and forth and got banged around a lot by Matthew when dumping his backpack on the ground. The device has to be turned on and off automatically by an adult, which meant that in preschool it was left on most days sitting on a table for all students to pound on. Since I had signed for this device I asked that it be kept out of reach of the classmates who did not really grasp that this was not a toy but a means for communicating.

The problems we encountered over the years included having a different teacher each year along with a new SLP. By the time everyone was acclimated winter recess would come along and then intersession with a month of half school days. Then the next process was to decide on photos and obtain overlays from the AAC department.

There would never be any specific goals in the IEP for utilizing pecs and the communication device. Instead these were listed under supports and more generalized. I tried to implement the Cheap Talk for outside therapies and would take photographs of therapists and Matthew engaging in various forms of play and learning. We were met with resistance at every turn and step along the way.

One year the Cheap Talk would be at my house collecting dust, while the next year I would make contact with the AAC department to get them to utilize this once again at school. The first year at the current Elementary School the AAC accessor came and had meetings with the aide, teacher, SLP and OT. I was informed of these after the fact. I requested a report for Matthew's triennial IEP in 2005 and for an AAC representative to be present so we could brainstorm some ways to utilize more visual supports in the classroom.

My other son Nicholas is the one who recorded the words for the Cheap Talk device. This was a neutral voice for the classroom and would not distact the other students by being a familiar voice. We used many universal terms for all the levels, so that the last button to the right on the top row would always be Help and the bottom row would indicate Done.

I would have an overlay with therapy items, another one for food related items, one with colors and then one for directions like - more, wait, look, bye, hi and no. One of the levels was to be utilized by the speech and language professional, but they never got around to bringing the Cheap Talk to the room for therapy.

In order to get all this implemented one person needs to be the responsible person and make sure the device is being used with all related services, overlays need to be done and meetings to cover updates in goals and how the pictures need to be expanded, etc. Some people use colored photos, others want images from real items and then there are those who prefer the stick images and figures. There has to be a team effort with open lines of communication. We lost that objective for many years and it is my hope that with this transition into Middle school and a new aide that my son will start to thrive in his communication skills.

One year after attending an Autism Conference and browsing all the exhibits, I met with AAC and SLP at the classroom to observe Matthew. This was an attempt to try to get the district to change from the Cheap Talk to the Go Talk. I brought along catalogs of products and the camp report on how well Matthew did with the Go Talk. AAC brought along a broken device and said that pushing the buttons was harder for kids and really wanted to give the Cheap Talk another try. We came up with ideas for how Matthew could participate with the device at circle time each morning.

Once I received the Go Talk 9+ device I contacted the AAC department at LAUSD and let them know I wanted to return the Cheap Talk device and that I bought the Go Talk 9+ based on the experience Matthew had the two previous summers at camp, where this was utilized on a daily basis for communicating his wants and needs. You are not limited to overlays with these devices and can use regular picture cards and velcro them to the square box for whatever need that may arise. I have plenty available from the pecs wall, notebooks and boxes galore. There are Activities using picture cards and the Flash CD, plus I run a pecs group on yahoo.

Unfortunately the new assistant was not there the day AAC and I observed, but we came up with some ideas for Matthew to be conversational with his assistant when performing tasks. I wrote the following phrases down for overlay development:

you do one, I do one (turn taking)

let me do it, help me (interactive)

want a squeeze (or a hug)

request a fidget (like a ball or pencil grip)

the 3 top core vocabulary keys for all levels are (yes, breaktime, no)

To get feedback on his work he could press button to ask - how did I do, what next, I am waiting or look to get attention on a task he did. For interacting with teacher during circle time the days of the week could be programmed for one level and then she would ask what day is today. The same thing with all the students names/photos and then ask who is absent today?

Some phrases for Matthew to indicate his needs - too cold, too loud, repeat, no more, wet, sick, feels good. Other ways to interact with others would be for good morning, hello, thank you. This makes it more conversational for Matthew to be part of the classroom.

We did receive the overlays from AAC last week so Nicholas and I got four levels programmed. I never indicated anything about Mc Donalds but there was a image there next to the help button that his assistant was working on when Matthew needs his new sneakers to be tied. That day upon getting home Matthew went into his backpack and got out the Go Talk pressed Mc Donalds three times and off we went to Burger King since they sell onion rings and that is his current food of choice.

The next day at school the assistant had to cover up the Mc Donalds icon. We need to do some fine tuning to this overlay. The Go Talk is sleek in deisgn and more appropriate for Matthew as he enters MiddleSchool.

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Preparing for Enrollment in Middle School

My 12 year old nonverbal son Matthew starts sixth grade at a Middle School in September. The homeschool for these grades was not acceptable to me so we had to go to Due Process. This took place at the end of the 2007-2008 school year. My main concern was to get into a school that follows the traditional school calendar of September through June. Los Angeles has year round schools with the offer starting a few days after school let out.

By that time I was already in summer camp mode so I did not get all the pertinent details on the class and school options. Once the six weeks of camp was over we took a week off before I delved into the school information. The school was getting new pavement so for two weeks it was closed and then trying to get anyone to answer in Special Education was not possible.

After several attempts I was able to talk someone in the office into mailing me the enrollment papers instead of having to fill these out with my son and his aide there. This preparation process is very necessary when taking a child on the autism spectrum to their new school for the open enrollment first come first serve four day bonanza. It is one of those times I wished there was special treatment for the special education students. I believe hearing my son screaming in the background with my pleading to make life easier for everyone at the office upon our arrival clinched obtaining these forms in the mail.

The forms were overwhelming, asking the years he attended other schools, what age when he first spoke, sat, crawled, fed himself. They wanted to know the dates of hospitalization and last visit to the Dentist. Other pertinent data like a court order about either parent, which I am bringing since I have sole physical and legal custody with the noncustodial parent on
supervised vistation per a custody evaluation years ago.

I put together a folder for the aide that will be taking the bus with my son. I have copies of both IEPs, a print out of the school calendar, a document I typed up with school name, address, phone number, bus route info, meal times and school hours. I also included the original copy of the document I had provided the Elementary School in using for a communication notebook.

I also taped the school picture of my son on the top of the folder and placed an English and a Spanish autism behavior card inside, as well as one of my business cards. I purchased two books about school buses and want one to be kept at school to help my son learn about the bus and as a reminder. I still need to look through my pecs resources to find a few bus picture cards for the schedule at school and his communication device.

I am hoping to have better communication with the school than with the two previous Elementary Schools. There is still the issue of toilet training at school and finding out if that takes place in the Nurse's office or regular restroom.

I was pleased with the information received from the Bus Supervisor when we talked last week. Hopefully it will be a Safe Bus, as well as a safe campus.

I do not want to overload the aide at the start of the school year, but I really feel two books he needs to peruse and share with the teacher/therapist is the one on the oral-motor program and the strategies at hand laminated bookcards that is portable and has tips on assemblies and fire drills.

I am also planning on going over the Basic Skills Checklist book with the aide to see which ones would be useful to new teacher and therapists.

I have typed out a list of questions for the enrollment tomorrow and what does not get answered will hopefully be addressed at the orientation the following night. I tried several times to schedule a tour and was told to just do it after we enroll. I hope they realize this will not be a quick walk through.