Over the years, we have tried and tried to find Bradley’s voice and create communication with him. We have sat through endless hours of “Signing Time,” using cards to teach signs, using repetition to teach words and desperately holding out for a day that he can communicate effectively with more than just his family, and might even put words together for sentences.
School has been a gift and a curse sort of experience for Bradley and those of us who love him. He is getting speech at school and they sign with him and they model the words he needs to hear and he will sometimes say the words back. But spontaneousl language is little to none. In a large school, where he can get separated from his class during an emergency...in a large world where he is showing signs of bolting as his attention is captured by Lord only knows what...his inability to communicate is huge.In his own classroom, getting his needs met is paramount; not just for his safety, but for his well-being and his happiness.
My sweet friend, who adores my son looked at me last year and told me that despite her own signing ability, she wouldn’t be able to talk to Bradley effectively in an emergency. She is in the Special Ed field and is phenomenal, the kiddos that get to work with her are the lucky ones...and we live hours apart. Ugh! But she was right, and she was hitting the one point in my huge world of worries that had been weighing on me. When we had Bradley’s IEP last May, we hit the subject heavy, asking for help in trying to figure out a way for Bradley to be able to somehow communicate in an emergency, with communicating in his everyday life a bonus.
So at the beginning of October, a specialist came in and provided an assessment of Bradley and what she considers our best means to help our son start to find his voice, whether we hear it or see it, or just have some means to know what he is trying to say or what he needs. Bradley’s speech therapist felt that his incredible aptitude with his IPad would prove for this to be the right time for him to try an Assistive Technology Device. This assessment was going to determine if that was the path we would take with him.
I went in ready for negatives and little to no help; not to sure why exactly, just that IPads are so expensive and no one likes to put the money out unless they absolutely have no other choice. Anyway, the assessor was very nice, and her interpretation of her assessment was more positive in person that it was in what we read through at home. Based on his speech therapist’s recommendation, she also feels an IPad is his best means to further his ability to communicate. I was encouraged by the fact that Bradley was repeating the words from each program, but he wasn’t interested enough in most to reach out and touch the different prompts. In the program that he uses with his speech teacher, he was interested in exploring some of the tabs and looking into folders. Based on that alone, we are going to put our first trial into that program.
Bradley will get the IPad in November, we will all get training, and then it won’t leave his side for sixty school days of trial. The good news is that the sixty days is not set in stone, if a bit more time is needed he’ll get it. More comforting is that if this doesn’t work then there are other options. And if he can learn to work through this system, more advanced systems are waiting for him to grow into.
My last requirement was that the IPad be in a strong case. Originally, the IPad wouldn’t have a case until after the trial. My guy gets frustrated trying to learn new things, my guy will swipe and throw for no reason whatsoever...so I am not on board with a school IPad he could potentially damage through frustration, through boredom, through some triggering in his brain, or the darn thing sliding out of his little boy non-dexterous fingers. Um, mom is not the queen of grace either, he might get that unfortunate trait from me. Oy! So a case will be provided too.
So begins a new adventure in Bradley’s world. There is so much potential riding on this, but it’s all up to what Bradley can handle, what he can do, and what he will choose to do. At least we are approaching an open door of opportunity and we’re not having to fight our way to it. I think he’s at the right age to give it a try, but we’ll see. Like in most things Bradley: time will tell.p
My prayer is that my son will talk to me, to Eric, to his sisters. My wish is that he will be able to open up his world and start talking to the people he meets daily. My hope is that if communication improves, his frustrations will lessen - not go away, but be something he can tell me about for us to work on. Cautiously optimistic and curious about what the next few months to a year might bring. Oh boy! May the changes coming prove to be the positive ones that he enjoys and embraces! Whole new world here we come!
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