Max on the Ipad

Recently Max has begun using Proloquo2go, an assistive communication program. It has a combinations of symbols words that Max can press to "speak."

While he hasn't been as conversational on the ipad as I might have hoped, he does like to ask for food! Grilled cheese, baked beans and pop tarts are favorites.

He has also let me know he feels crazy/bad/frustrated when he can't have what he wants!

Max has even gained use of some more 'functional' type phrases in his spoken vocabulary. In the past he has let me know he wanted something to drink by saying, "You want apple juice," for example or even "You are thirsty." Then over time he started asking what he wanted by just stating what he wanted, "Apple juice" or "Thirsty." In a way I think that was actually a step forward. Rather than repeating the whole thing in a rote manner, he was using the 'meaningful' part of the sentence.

Since using proloquo2go I have noticed the words "I want" and "I need" entering his spoken vocabulary more and more. As in "I want apple juice." or "I need squeezes." On a few occasions "I feel" has even shown up. On the day I picked him up from summer school to go to the county fair, he kept saying, "I feel happy. So happy."

In a way I think proloquo2go is making Max's echolalia* work for him.

Pretty cool, I think.

(Echolalia is speech consisting of repeating or ”echoing” what you have heard.)