Tag Archives: speech generating devices

Daddy Writes about His Daughter’s Disability

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Another book repost…not about autism, but an in-depth look at a family whose daughter uses a Speech Generating Device to speak. Schuyler is now a teenager and I still love to read her dad’s blog and see what she is up to! She now uses an ipad to communicate. If you have a child that is non-vocal currently or does not use speech to communicate, speech generating devices are opening doors for these kiddos! It’s so exciting to see kids learn how to communicate!

 

I recently read a book, “Schuyler’s Monster” about a father’s experiences with his daughter, Schuyler, and her disability. Robert Rummel-Hudson refers to his daughter’s disability as a “monster” throughout the book that left her unable to communicate verbally. His honesty regarding what he went through before, during, and after diagnosis offers real understanding for professionals and may allow parents to feel understood or not alone. Although some parents and professionals may not like his opinion about disabilities or religion, I found the book to be inspiring and full of hope. Schuyler’s parents never give up on helping her have her own voice through a speech generating device. “Schuyler’s Monster” is a book for all individuals who work with kids who have disabilities.

And if the book leaves you wondering what is going on now for Schuyler, you can read Robert’s blog to find out more!

http://www.schuylersmonster.com/

Success with a Speech Generating Device

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On April 1 and 2, 2016, LAMP Words for Life will be half off…that is, $150 instead of $300. What can a speech generating device mean to an individual with autism? I want to share a story of a student a friend of mine works with who used a speech generating device…until he didn’t need it anymore! He became so verbal that he passed it along.

This is not to say that verbal speech is always the result of using a speech generating device (SGD), but it can be a possibility! Research has not shown that kids who utilize speech generating devices are any less likely to become verbal than any other children. SGDs can only help speech development, not hinder it.

“Party” Says a Teenager using His Speech Generating Device

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One of the most joyous moments recently was with a teenager I have been working with for 2 years. We have been using LAMP Words for Life for over a year now and he will request where he wants to go eat and tell me step by step what to draw, including what color to use, but no completely spontaneous language beyond that. He reads using WFL and loves to spell.

Recently, he was hanging out before our session started and I was getting another student to tell about his birthday party and how old he was, what he ate, etc. My teenager was standing still or pacing during this conversation.

When we started our session, he kept going to different things on Words for Life, but not settling on saying anything. I could tell there was something he wanted to say and continued to wait and encourage him. After a few minutes, he said “party.” He wanted to talk about the other little boy’s party or perhaps have one of his own. He didn’t give anymore details. This was so exciting for him to take what we talked about as a group, when he seemed to possibly not be paying attention and want to talk about it again with me. This was a huge moment for us!

LAMP Words for Life celebrates April 2 as World Autism Awareness Day and puts WFL, which is only available through Apple, half off for April 1 and 2, 2016 only. This makes such an impact for so many families who are waiting and watching for their child to ask for “popcorn” or “tickles”…or “party.” Party on, Wayne!

LAMP Words for Life 50% Off for World Autism Awareness Day

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April 2, 2013 has arrived. This is the World Autism Awareness Day. I hope you remembered to wear blue today!

In honor of autism awareness, LAMP and PRC are selling their communication app “LAMP Words for Life” at 50% off. The app usually sells for $300, but today only, it will be $149.99. This is an amazing deal! The LAMP app is ideal for any child who does not have a consistent way to communicate- whether he/she is nonverbal, only has word approximations, or has speech but does not use speech to communicate. One of the important facts about LAMP is that children learn to communicate with speech generating devices by using motor planning. This means that just like you and I remember where keys are in a keyboard from using a keyboard day in and day out, kids learn how to communicate because their words are in the same place every time they use the app/device. Language is learned on a word by word basis and kids begin to put their own phrases and sentences together instead of using phrases and sentences someone else thought up for them. Click here if you would like to learn more about LAMP.

Take advantage of this great savings today. I am LAMP certified to teach children and individuals how to communicate using “LAMP Words for Life” so let me know if you need assistance teaching this communication system to your child or student. I have seen this communication system work for many children and get excited about the opportunity for it to help even more!

MS CEC February Conference to include Dr. Rebecca Mullican of Jackson Autism Center

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The fast approaching MS CEC conference will be held at the Golden Moon Casino and Resort in Philadelphia, MS on February 6-8, 2013. Dr. Rebecca Mullican will have two presentations that you will not want to miss during this conference! One will discuss her dissertation topic of children with autism who use speech generating devices to communicate and the other focuses on the connection between behavior and communication. You can review the schedule here and the session topics here. If you would like general information about Mississippi’s Council for Exceptional Children, you can visit here.

Dr. Mullican’s first presentation, Linking Communication and Behavior, will focus on the need for all individuals to have a consistent way to communicate. Individuals are misunderstood because of challenging behavior and a lack of communication. Through a better understanding of the connection between behavior and communication, professionals and parents can assist individuals with special needs in creating a communication system that works.

Dr. Mullican’s second MS CEC presentation, “It Is His Voice” Daily Device Use with Children who Have Autism, will share information from Dr. Mullican’s dissertation which focused on families of children who have autism and use a Speech Generating Device (SGD) to communicate. Six families across the United States participated in two interviews to share their experiences with their child who has autism and communicates with a SGD. Dr. Rebecca Mullican will be presenting with Dr. John Bishop, a CISE professor at the University of Southern Mississippi.

These and many more presentations will make the MS CEC conference one you will not want to miss. A variety of information will be presented, from the DORE program to positive behavior support, Mississippi Alternate Assessment, Common Core for individuals with moderate and severe disabilities, and twice-exceptional children. Hope to see you there.

~I was unable to attend CEC as scheduled for personal reasons. However, I will be participating in other speaking events so stay tuned…