Imagine living in a world surrounded by the chatter of your family, your friends, your teachers. You understand what they're saying to each other and what they say to you, but your brain works differently. For some frustrating reason your brain and the physical components that work together to create verbal communication don't function properly. You have no means to communicate your most immediate needs, no means to produce even the simplest of requests. Imagine this is your world. How frustrated would you be?
This is the world of our non-verbal students.
As special education teachers, autism teachers, paraprofessionals, and as parents or caregivers, our most important task is to find a way to teach our non-verbal children to communicate. There are many programs and resources available, including American Sign Language (ASL), or Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) devices which range from low-tech to high-tech options. Our school district has adopted the MELD (Multimodal Early Language Development) board as a device used to teach non-verbal students how to communicate.
Undeniably, using a device you're unfamiliar with can be intimidating. Negative thoughts may fill your mind: "This won't work", "My students can't do this", "It's too much trouble"...Just clear your mind, KNOW that this evidence-based program not only works, it is absolutely life-changing when you help a student learn to communicate.
My next blog will teach you step-by-step how to use the MELD board in your classroom or in your home. Remember: early intervention and parental involvement are key factors to helping a child with special needs, especially autism spectrum disorder, to become successful. This is even more important when teaching a non-verbal student how to communicate.
References:
Nowell, S., Sam, A., Waters, V., Dees, R., & AFIRM Team. (2022). Augmentative & Alternative Communication. The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Frank Porter Graham Child Development Institute, Autism Focused Intervention Modules and Resources.
https://afirm.fpg.unc.edu/augmentative-alternative-communication
Griffin, W., & AFIRM Team. (2017). Functional communication training. Chapel Hill, NC: National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorder, FPG Child Development Center, University of North Carolina. Retrieved from http://afirm.fpg.unc.edu/functional-communication-training
Sam, A., & AFIRM Team. (2015). Visual supports. Chapel Hill, NC: National Professional Development Center on Autism Spectrum Disorder, FPG Child Development Center, University of North Carolina. Retrieved from http://afirm.fpg.unc.edu/visual-supports
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