Help Children with Autism Communicate and Become Independent
My students need a simple and versatile augmentative communication system to help students with Autism learn to communicate and a simple tool to help remind a student to use the restroom so that the student can be independent in toileting tasks.
This project is a part of the Hispanic & Latinx Heritage Month celebration because
it supports a Latino teacher or a school where the majority of students are Latino.
I teach in a self-contained Autism magnet program that is part of the local school district. I serve students ages K-3 who are diagnosed with autism and are impacted to a level that their educational needs cannot be met in the general education classroom. My program uses the method of applied behavioral analysis to teach children such skills as communication, independent self-care skills, functional academics and social skills. The district in which I teach is a fairly small school district and serves a community that is culturally diverse. The socio-economic status of the community and the children that my school serves is very low. Our current free and reduced lunch rate (The percentage of families living at that poverty level) is 79%.
My program really struggles with acquiring assistive technology that meets the needs of the students. The language level and the functional skill level of my students is very low. My highest functioning student is currently able to label about 100 items and is unable to consistently answer yes or no questions. The majority of my students, however, are non-verbal and are beginning to use photos or picture symbols to communicate. Without the ability to communicate, my students can become aggressive and have great difficulty in their homes and in the community.
In addition to our communication needs, we also have four students who are not currently toilet trained. Two of these students are able to use the restroom but need reminders four to six times a day to use the restroom. If they are not reminded, they will have accidents which is embarrassing and uncomfortable.
I do everything that I can to teach each child to communicate but effective communication for some students requires a voice output device. A low-tech device like the "One-by-Four" can allow my students to communicate basic needs like a need to eat, drink, use the restroom or a desire to communicate with a classmate or family member by saying "HI! How are you?"
The recordable timing device can be set up to remind a student to use the restroom as their schedule dictates. This would help students to become more independent and provide them with the dignity of using the restroom without an adult supervising their every move in this private situation.
By helping us with these two items, you will enable my students to communicate basic needs to the staff in my classroom, and enable me to send home an augmentative communication tool that will enable my students to communicate something with their parents and/or siblings. It is hard to imagine having never had the ability to communicate effectively with another individual but this is a challenge that my students face. We want to give them as much control in their lives as possible. Additionally, the timing alarm device would help my students to become independent in their personal toileting routines and would help provide them dignity and self-reliance. The parents of my students are so looking forward to the day that they can stop putting their elementary-aged student in diapers. Thanks in advance for helping me make this happen!!!
More than half of students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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