An AAC User with Autism Who Only Wants to Spell Things

Categories:
Age Group: /
Resouce Types:

    • I have a first grade student who’s primary diagnosis is Autism. He is non-verbal, with only a few sounds /p,b,m,h/ in his phonemic inventory. He has very poor fine motor control, along with physical impairments. He LOVES books and is extremely hyperlexic to letters and words. His private speech therapist placed him on a LAMP system (AAC device) about two years ago and we have been working on increasing his use of his device here at school. Due to his age, he is a pretty good speller and we are able to get context out of his communicative attempts. Over the past year, I have tried to introduce him to many CORE words and encouraging the teacher to continue the use of these throughout the day. We are concerned about his lack of interest/use in the “learned” icon buttons on the device. He has a very short attention span, which is a challenge due to the time it takes to teach the pathway. This student ONLY initiates use of the keyboard button so that he can spell out what he wants (i.e. iPad, Pete the cat, etc.). He most often labels things in his environment or in books, not really using the device for true communication. When he doesn’t get what he wants, he drops to the floor and tantrums. Due to his lack of progress, I am considering an AT evaluation to see what is most appropriate in the classroom. Any thoughts?

My Thoughts:

      • The child is showing you what is most effective for him: text.  I would look into some text-based AAC options.

 

This one looks good (though I haven’t tried it):

http://www.assistiveware.com/product/proloquo4text

 

    • Teach him how to type things that will prevent the tantrums (like “I need a break”)