Dear friends,
I thought I would begin this blog by telling you a little bit about me, and why I feel passionate about helping people who are non verbal.
I have a daughter who cannot speak. Lilli is eight. When she was four, one therapist told me she did not think Lilli could understand how to communicate using pictures. She tried one time, and the session went terribly. I remember leaving the clinic that day, feeling defeated and hopeless.
Several months later, a different therapist told me that there was no excuse for any person to NOT have a way to communicate, and that she would try everything to help Lilli to learn functional communication. She believed in Lilli. She helped Lilli to learn to use pictures to tell us things.
The second therapist changed our lives. I have never forgotten her, or the simple hope she gave us.
Two things I have noticed over the years:
1. There is a great need for easy-to-find, parent-friendly, affordable resources that are specifically for parents, therapists, family members, and teachers of people who are non-verbal. In my own personal search, I have felt frustrated.
2. There are still many children and even young adults who have no way of communicating, despite the fact that there are ideas, devices, and therapies that can really help. There are even adults in this situation - perhaps from a brain injury later in life- and their families are struggling with the overwhelming situation and need simple ideas for communication with their loved ones. We need to have a place to go for these ideas.
Some parents and teachers just have no idea where to start. Some children are in classrooms with overwhelmed teachers who have limited budgets, no parent support, and few ideas for inspiration. Personal stories I have heard explain many different reasons. Some have to do with lack of funding and insurance problems. Some have to do with parents not knowing what is available for their child. Some parents are overwhelmed with the special needs of the child and do not even know where to begin. Sometimes children are passed through the grade levels and years of school without communication, and no one seems to think it is a problem at all, even when the child has no way whatsoever to tell another person what he or she wants.
The saddest reason to me is that sometimes, a person simply does not believe that a child will ever learn to communicate, so they do not even try.
One of my greatest desires is for my daughter Lilli to be able to tell me what she wants, what she is thinking, what she loves, what she dislikes. I do not know what the future holds for her, but we are on an incredible journey trying everything we can. Along the way, I cannot help but write about what we are experiencing. I want to connect with others that are sharing similar struggles, and share ideas with each other.
I am passionate about researching ways to communicate with someone who is non-verbal. (Some people say non-vocal.)This blog is for anyone who knows someone that is non-verbal, non-vocal, or needs extra help with communicating. I want to share and provide a place for ideas and hope.
I will happily include communication ideas from those who would like to submit them. You can email me at Tellmeblog@aol.com. I welcome your comments, suggestions, experiences, ideas, or just a simple hello letting me know you stopped by. Thank you so much for visiting!
Sincerely Yours,
Jennie
I thought I would begin this blog by telling you a little bit about me, and why I feel passionate about helping people who are non verbal.
I have a daughter who cannot speak. Lilli is eight. When she was four, one therapist told me she did not think Lilli could understand how to communicate using pictures. She tried one time, and the session went terribly. I remember leaving the clinic that day, feeling defeated and hopeless.
Several months later, a different therapist told me that there was no excuse for any person to NOT have a way to communicate, and that she would try everything to help Lilli to learn functional communication. She believed in Lilli. She helped Lilli to learn to use pictures to tell us things.
The second therapist changed our lives. I have never forgotten her, or the simple hope she gave us.
Two things I have noticed over the years:
1. There is a great need for easy-to-find, parent-friendly, affordable resources that are specifically for parents, therapists, family members, and teachers of people who are non-verbal. In my own personal search, I have felt frustrated.
2. There are still many children and even young adults who have no way of communicating, despite the fact that there are ideas, devices, and therapies that can really help. There are even adults in this situation - perhaps from a brain injury later in life- and their families are struggling with the overwhelming situation and need simple ideas for communication with their loved ones. We need to have a place to go for these ideas.
Some parents and teachers just have no idea where to start. Some children are in classrooms with overwhelmed teachers who have limited budgets, no parent support, and few ideas for inspiration. Personal stories I have heard explain many different reasons. Some have to do with lack of funding and insurance problems. Some have to do with parents not knowing what is available for their child. Some parents are overwhelmed with the special needs of the child and do not even know where to begin. Sometimes children are passed through the grade levels and years of school without communication, and no one seems to think it is a problem at all, even when the child has no way whatsoever to tell another person what he or she wants.
The saddest reason to me is that sometimes, a person simply does not believe that a child will ever learn to communicate, so they do not even try.
One of my greatest desires is for my daughter Lilli to be able to tell me what she wants, what she is thinking, what she loves, what she dislikes. I do not know what the future holds for her, but we are on an incredible journey trying everything we can. Along the way, I cannot help but write about what we are experiencing. I want to connect with others that are sharing similar struggles, and share ideas with each other.
I am passionate about researching ways to communicate with someone who is non-verbal. (Some people say non-vocal.)This blog is for anyone who knows someone that is non-verbal, non-vocal, or needs extra help with communicating. I want to share and provide a place for ideas and hope.
I will happily include communication ideas from those who would like to submit them. You can email me at Tellmeblog@aol.com. I welcome your comments, suggestions, experiences, ideas, or just a simple hello letting me know you stopped by. Thank you so much for visiting!
Sincerely Yours,
Jennie
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