I teach kindergarten- 5th grade students with autism in a low income school in West Michigan. My students keep me on my toes each day with their unique personalities and abilities.
If you’ve met one individual with autism, you’ve met one individual with autism.
A common characteristic for many individuals with autism is difficulty communicating. My students communication needs range from using their words to get their needs met to some students who are nonverbal. I want ALL of my students to be heard no matter what their communication level is. With your support, we can make that happen!
My Project
Every person has the right to be heard! For some of my students, that is very challenging due to their limited verbal skills. Some of my students are working on making sounds and the beginning stages of putting those sounds together to make words. While they are working on those sounds, I want to help them communicate to increase their self-esteem and decrease frustration.
Many individuals with autism have a difficult time communicating their wants and needs.
With your donation, I will purchase two different communication tools, an AbleNet iTalk2 with levels and an AbleNet BIGmack Communicator. Both devices, give me the option to pre-record up to 4 minute messages each. Then, when my students want to communicate that recorded message such as "Hi my name is________ what is your name?" All they have to do is simply press the button and the message is played. The devices are at two different levels so no matter the cognitive level of my students, they will be able to communicate their message!
I want to incorporate different communication tools into our daily routine to adapt learning for all of my students, no matter their degree of communication or cognitive level. With these tools, ALL of my students will be able to have their voices heard and learn to their ability during the school day.
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As a teacher-founded nonprofit, we're trusted by thousands of teachers and supporters across the country. This classroom request for funding was created by Ms. Greengard and reviewed by the DonorsChoose team.
