If you needed help to say what's on your mind
Monday, April 6, 2015 at 9:52PM A couple of weeks ago I attended a training at Syracuse University on assisted typing.
If you’re not familiar with this form of communication, imagine for a moment that you can’t speak, and you can’t even type unless someone supports you – say, touches your elbow or shoulder while you type to help you focus, or pulls away your hand from the keyboard after every letter, so that perseveration won’t get in the way of your words.
If your loved one has not been able to communicate using words, whether spoken or written, have you assumed that he or she has little to say? Have you assumed that he or she understands very little?
I find HANDLE very compatible with assisted typing and other forms of facilitated communication, in that the basic premise is the assumption of competence. Yes, you may be wrong, but assuming incompetence can be a lot more harmful. The woman sitting across from me at the workshop received practically no education until she was 24. She now has a Masters degree on disability studies and serves on the Executive Board for the Autism National Committee (AUTCOM) as Vice President.
I can’t wait to practice and to learn from people who communicate through assisted typing as well as from my colleague Carolyn Nuyens who has been practicing this modality in California for many years.
I’ve met half of the people whose profiles and stories are here. And here’s a blog by yet another person who uses assisted typing, sharing her thoughts about ABA and the “politically correct” term “person with autism”.
http://sydscarnivalofsouls.com/2015/03/21/amy-sequenzia-non-speaking-autistic-speaking/
There are people I know who have been silent for a long time. I'm eager to learn what they may want to say. I can’t imagine where I would have started if I had had to wait until my teens or adulthood before having a chance to say what’s on my mind. What would be the first thing you’d say? If you want to explore these possibilities for someone you know, send me a note. I may be able to help.
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