Guest guest Posted February 23, 2005 Report Share Posted February 23, 2005 > , > > This is almost exactly our experience. had about 30- 40 words and a > large signing vocabulary but it all vanished around 3-4 years old. Now she > uses a Tech Speak, PECS, a comm. book and occasionally has verbal days when > she says a handful of words but then nothing the next day. > > Hi Therese: Yes, has a Tech Speak, too, (though he just uses it now to communicate about his videos, as everything else is PECS). We're like you, we like a combination of methods. When did begin speaking again? We only hear speak once about every 4-5 months. He certainly knows how to silence a room, because whenever he blurts something out, everyone is in shock for a moment. , ,7, DS/ASD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2005 Report Share Posted February 23, 2005 Therese, A tech speak is being ordered for Trisha, it will take about 4 months for medicaid to do all the paper work before she gets it. I have several concerns as far as how well it will work for her. Can you share the pros and cons of it? One of my concerns is that how dependant she will be on an adult to make sure the right pages are loaded in the machine, I just don't see her going to look up a page to use whenever she has something she wants to say. One of our goals is for her to be more independent and they made comments that her signing isn't exact and I would have to translate her signs to new people, well hello, with the board I'd still have to get the sheets and put them in the board and hopefully cover everything she might need or want to say. The biggest difference I can see as far as my input would be that my interpreting her signs doesn't cost a cent and the device is going to cost about 1,500. So any input you have would be greatly appreciated. It may be a wonderful device but I just have some doubts about it for her. She isn't much into pointing to pics and to be honest I see it more in a structured environment rather than in a social one. Carol Trishasmom She isn't Typical, She's Trisha! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 23, 2005 Report Share Posted February 23, 2005 Hi , I wouldn't say that speaks. We classify her as nonverbal. She has a few words that she does use all the time like juice and more and Cody (the dog's name), and of course, her favorite words of No and Don't. These came back around 9 or 10 yo. And became more consistent over time. But I have only heard her say Mama once since she was three. She still says Dad if prompted. She used to have hundreds of signs but now will not sign at all. She still understands signs receptively but won't use them. The big improvement I have noticed in the past few years is receptive language. For example: If I tell her it's time for bed, she initiates the routine and puts herself to bed. Three years ago she would have looked blankly at me as if she didn't hear me. What made a difference for us was visual schedules. They seemed to give all our requests meaning. I love that book, Visual Strategies for Improving Communication. It changed our lives. Therese > Hi Therese: Yes, has a Tech Speak, too, (though he just > uses it now to communicate about his videos, as everything else is > PECS). We're like you, we like a combination of methods. > > When did begin speaking again? We only hear speak > once about every 4-5 months. He certainly knows how to silence a room, > because whenever he blurts something out, everyone is in shock for a > moment. > > , ,7, DS/ASD > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted February 24, 2005 Report Share Posted February 24, 2005 > Hi , > > What made a difference for us was > visual schedules. They seemed to give all our requests meaning. I love > that book, Visual Strategies for Improving Communication. It changed our > lives. > > Therese > > Hi Therese: Yes, we have this book also, it's great. Visual supports have made a huge difference for us also. It's a shame, because these types of supports would help children who simply have DS, but I first learned these strategies when I took a nine-week autism course offered here in RI. One of the speakers said, " How would you like to go into work and not know when you could go home? " That changed everything. From that point on, has had access to what day it is, whether or not he is going to school or staying home, and what he's going to be doing. That's wonderful that has some words, and " No " and " Don't. " Very useful! Take care, --------, 7, DS/ASD Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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