Good News: A New Way to Communicate
One of the most difficult things about having nonverbal children with autism is the limits those circumstances put our our communication.
That is not to say that there is no communication. They do use one or two words. There is also nonverbal communication that goes on.
At the same time, the thing we miss, and that many parents take for granted, is the ability to have conversations with them. Not necessarily deep philosophical discussions but just to ask them how their day was.
I had been thinking about this for some time.
I knew that Logan is able to read. He has been since he was quite young. I also knew that Logan could type on a computer. He does pretty complex internet searches. Everything was in place to try something new.
So when we were talking to the group home, I made a request. Logan had recently got his own iPad and so I asked if he had an email address. He did and so I emailed him.
And I got a reply!
Since then Logan and I have been emailing back and forth. Amanda has been texting back and forth on iMessenger.
Again, these are not super deep conversations. But they have opened up a whole new aspect of our relationship with our son. I always know when Amanda has received a new message because she has this huge grin. This sends me rushing to check my email.
Checking email has never been so rewarding!
I am so thankful that the group home has been willing to work on this with us. And I’m especially thankful that Logan is willing to communicate with us in this way.
What about Abby? That remains to be seen, but until then she does communicate with her augmentative communication software on her iPad.
Right now we are super excited about what is currently happening and the opportunities for the future.
