How A- expresses novel thoughts.

The other day someone asked me if we choose what Pictellos to make based on what A- says on speak for yourself or P2Go.

It was a logical question! But made me think “how do I answer this?”

I realised A- expresses “novel thoughts” (ie sharing with us, with no prompting at all, what he’s thinking / feeling / into) with his body, his hands, his facial expression, where he looks, what he touches, what he watches on YouTube and his iPad games, where he wants to go with his stroller, etc.

I see a lot of “experts” sharing memes about how we support folks with dyspraxia in communicating with the focus on helping with motor-sensory, or speech generating AAC, or spelling. I never see “first and foremost, acknowledge how they ARE communicating” except from @sheridan foster (who’s helped me in my thinking a lot!)

There for sure is enormous value in being able to communicate in typical ways that all people can understand so you can participate in community and be safe. And maybe A-, like many non speakers, WANTS to communicate using words in a typical way. But that does NOT mean he’s deficient in communication and needs to be fixed or supported.

We spend MOST of our time focused on how he IS communicating, which is probably why people are always telling us what an amazing communicator he is.

I get if you’re a therapist it’s different because you’re getting paid to support growth! But maybe make sure the parents know that you’re just there for that later growth, but not because there’s a big hole today.