How I Encourage My Nonverbal Son to use his Speech Device
I have many goals for my nonverbal son. Obviously, I want him to speak one day. But even more than that I want him to be able to communicate and in more than just a ‘preferred request’ sort of way. I want him to be conversational. I want him to ask me questions. I want him to be heard and understood.
Right now, since he is nonverbal and struggles with Apraxia on top of his Autism, reaching these goals means encouraging the use of his Speech Device. Cooper uses a heavy duty iPad with Proloquo2Go.
Cooper has come so far in the past few years. At age seven he now has a desire to communicate. He has a vocalization for the word ‘yes.’ He attempts to mimic. He tries. He communicates 3-5 word sentences with his speech device. He recognizes hundreds of pictures on his device. He even problem solves and finds ways to communicate with it.
For the first time in his life I see communication in our future. And this mom is giddy about it. As they always say, it takes a village. Cooper has ABA Therapists and Speech Therapists encouraging communication daily. We also use it at home as often as possible.
I know many of you wonder how we use Cooper’s speech device at home beyond asking for a cookie and Thomas the Train videos. It was hard at first. I’m not going to lie. But not it’s become part of our every day routine.
Watch the video below to see a few activities that I do weekly with Cooper. As you can see from the video another huge challenge is keeping him focused and engaged. We do activities like this for 15 minutes at a time. I encourage you to use a timer, make it fun and engaging, have rewards and ALWAYS follow through with every request…no matter how long it takes.
https://youtu.be/ZkjxnXMndPk
Flash Cards
Ask your child questions about the pictures on the flash cards. What color is the bear? Is the dog big or small? What is the girl doing? How many apples are there in the picture? Is the boy sleeping?
Because we use flashcards so often (Cooper has been using them since he was 12 months old) I splurged and bought the Language Builder set from Fun and Function. The 350 card set includes stunningly clear photographic images from nine basic categories: animals, foods, vehicles, furniture, clothing, toys, everyday objects, shapes, and colors. Click HERE to check it out. You can obviously use any flash cards or books to encourage communication with a speech device.
Alphabet Games
I try to make every activity with Cooper physically interactive. Sitting is still really hard for him. If he is forced to sit he can’t focus. In the activity in the video I have Cooper line up the letter cans from A-Z. Then I have him add letters to the cans. As he’s learned over the months I was able to add in more steps to this game. In the beginning it was all about identifying letters. Now, we are focusing on spelling and sight words. I have him spell the word on his device and then ask a follow up question about it. I also have Cooper use a pencil (super challenging for him) to write a few letters as well. Start small though. Build up to the harder activities.
Here is a link to the alphabet game we use: Learning Resources Alphabet Soup Sorters, 209 Pieces
Timer
I love this timer and use it daily for Cooper. One of our goals is to lessen screen time. It’s been a challenge I tell you but getting better every day. The key is to keep Cooper engaged the whole entire time. I love this timer because it’s silent and doesn’t have a ticking sound. Click HERE to check it out.
Good luck moms and dads. I know I’ve said it a hundred times and I will say it again…Give your child a voice! Once we did that, we saw so many improvements with Cooper’s behaviors and anxiety.
Finding Cooper’s Voice is a safe, humorous, caring and honest place where you can celebrate the unique challenges of parenting a special needs child. Because you’re never alone in the struggles you face. And once you find your people, your allies, your village….all the challenges and struggles will seem just a little bit easier. Welcome to our journey. You can also follow us on Facebook and subscribe to our newsletter.
