I wanted to share with you a communication device that is very simple, and something I really didn't expect to have the effect that it did.

My son is nearing the end of grade 3. He has been included in the school system with "typical" kids since kindergarten. I didn't hold him back at all, because I wanted him to continue through with the same students, and continue the bonds that he already had. Cam has had a few children really be interested in him, but because of his limitations with fine/gross motor and communication, they really hadn't bonded with him quite as much as I had wished. Of course, my heart longed for him to have "friendships" and to have more interaction, but it didn't really happen.

When Cameron transitioned to grade 3, he went from a primary school (K-2) up to an elementary school (3-5). I was nervous about the transition. The same kids were moving over, but there were also older kids, and I worried about kids teasing or being mean, or just not "getting him" or ignoring him. With the new school, Cameron had a new teacher assistant, this time a male. I LOVE the TA (a whole other blog entry). The TA is so good at including Cameron in where he can.

There was a Step by Step (with levels) communicator (from AbleNet) that came with Cameron from the previous school to the new one. Between the TA and I, we decided that we would use the button device to record messages back and forth between school and home. I knew this wasn't really functional communication in the way that Cameron can't decide or choose what to say (I'm recording on it), but I thought it would still help bridge the gap with the other students. I am SHOCKED to say that this little button has made the HUGEST difference in Cam and how the kids perceive him.

(photo from www.enablemart.com)

I record a message on the button in the morning before he goes to school. Often I do it as if it were him doing the message (I went out with my family last night for dinner and did ____, I had my cousins over on the weekend for a sleepover, etc.) Sometimes I get one of his sisters to leave a message on there. I've also left funny messages.

His TA has scheduled times in the day where Cam gets to share about his evening or weekend with his classmates. They look forward to listening to it. Then at the end of the day, the TA records a message to come back, saying what they did in school, or if they had something special going on they'll tell me. Or sometimes they will record something that Cam was listening to or did on the computer. My favorite is when his friends from school leave messages for him, or when I press play and I hear "GOODBYE CAMERON!!!" from the entire class. (and of course, mommy gets teary eyed).

The TA has said that this little bit of extra communication has made an amazing difference in how they perceive Cameron and interact with him. He said they often fight over who gets to leave a message, or who gets to push him in the wheelchair at lunch. When they have their "kindness week" at school, they often target Cameron to perform their act of kindness for.

I'd highly recommend trying out this simple idea if you have a non-verbal child, especially one who is an inclusion program in school, who is struggling with communication.

Here is a link to AbleNet's Step by Step Communicator.
www.enablemart.com/Catalog/Basic-Communicators/Step-by-Step-Communicator-with-Levels

This one has "levels". You may not necessarily need levels.
I encourage you to visit the link to see their tips on how to use this device. And, it is much more affordable than some of those more complicated devices on the market.