Wow what wonderful tools these Alternative Communication devices are! Having worked with Autistic children I know that one of the most frustrating things for everyone is the inability to connect with others. I think the importance of being able to communicate is well highlighted in the following youtube clip (I'm sure it's an advertisement but it's good) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eb_URYj_L_k The frustration of not being able to communicate applies to the individual with autisim and all those who work with and care about them, their family, teacher, support staff, friends and classmates.
Having a device like the Dynavox V http://www.dynavoxtech.com/products/v/features.aspx or something similar could open up a whole new world of communication for a child. I would use this to allow the child to communicate in the classroom in a way that everyone else can understand them and what they have to say. Whilst it wouldn't erase all the issues that autistic children have it would give them more access than they currently have now. They could use such a tool to participate in classroom discussions, express their feelings, likes and dislikes, something that is often extremly difficult for autistic children. Communicating with others would increase their confidence and feeling of belonging in the classroom. It would give them a sense of security and routine, very imprtant things to us all but especially people with autism. The portability of it means that they would have a lot more access to all classroom activities not just those that involve sitting at a desk or a computer.
Wow I wish I had access to one of these for my student a few years ago.
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