On Thursday, Joey and I stared at each other, silently. My goal in the moment was for Joey to select the word ‘want’ on his AAC eye gaze device. Joey’s goal was to get me to give him a stuffed owl he had dropped on the floor. In my perfectly planned lesson, these two goals would work together. Joey would use the device to say “want” and then I would give him the owl. Joey though, did not show any interest in selecting the ‘want’ icon.
This battle over the word ‘want’ has been going on for four sessions now. I model using the word want and then prompt, prod, and encourage Joey to select ‘want’. In response, Joey reaches into his communicative skills to do anything he can to NOT select ‘want’. [Read more…]
Joey is your definition of a book lover. When he sees a book, his face lights up. When a book ends, he often cries. He is perfectly happy having a book be read to him over and over (and over and over). I am sure anyone in his family can recite Pete the Cat or Little Blue Truck in their sleep. Joey’s love of books works out quite well, as I love books almost as much as Joey, and I particularly love adapting books so they are more accessible, engaging, and powerful for children with special needs.
