Non-Verbal Autism and Technology Featuring Lenovo YOGA Book
April is Autism Awareness Month. Three years ago I didn’t even know it existed. Which actually is very shameful. If you’ve read my blog, you’re aware that three years ago in May my third child was diagnosed with Autism. Really I should state that he received his official diagnosis. We knew something was different with him, we just didn’t know how different. Last year while searching for other Autism blogs, I learned about Non-Verbal Autism. It’s something that was never discussed with us in terms of our son. Even today his IEP has Autism as his disability and it includes a section about his communication device.
JB wanted to help me model the cups
Our son is almost six years old. He hasn’t spoken since he was about seventeen months old. When he was diagnosed shortly after his third birthday, his lack of speech was secondary to his Autism. It’s something that has always worried me the most about him. I’m always worried since he can’t communicate with us through vocalization of words. His first year in school I pushed for him to receive sign language classes, with no success. Next I pushed for him to receive a communication device. It’s still listed on his IEP on a “trial” basis, despite him being non-verbal.
J.B. A Self Portrait.
Now that he’s getting older, my goals remain the same. I want my son to be able to communicate with the world. In order to achieve this goal we’ve been using technology to get us in the right direction. On his current device he using a software app that use generic picture or clip art of words to help him create sentences. We’ve found that he likes to spell his words more and using the pre-programmed words. While it makes the process longer it works. Next school year he may be going up a grade and I wanted to know how well he writes.
I’m sharing a series of posts featuring my son and the Lenovo YOGA Book, showcasing how technology helps us achieve daily goals with him. While doing research on tablets that would help with communication, I decided that the Lenovo YOGA Book made a great choice. Thanks to Lenovo for partnering with us and providing the tablet for review purposes.
Over the next few month’s I’ll be sharing monthly post updates on JB’s writing, communication, and overall experience with his new Lenovo YOGA Book. We’ll be sharing a list of free and low-cost apps for children on the spectrum. I hope you join me each month to see our progress and explore with us as we learn more about our son and his ability to communicate using technology.
JB’s Lenovo YOGA Book is the Black 64GB Android model. It’s also available in Windows. Weighing just 1.52 lbs its lightweight and easy for him to mange on his own. This 2-in-1 is perfect since it will grow with our son as he gets older, staring with the tablet functions, and then moving to the laptop abilities. The Lenovo YOGA Book has a retail starting price of $499. To learn more visit Lenovo online.
Nickida
Nickida is a first-generation Trinidadian American wife and mother of four. She enjoys sharing recipes from her childhood growing up in Trinidad with her readers. Nickida has a son with Autism and shares posts around traveling with a child with special needs to help other families like her own. She loves television, movies and is a true 80's baby.
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