Autism Support Group

Hi guys! My son, Brian, attended his second day today at the Autism Learning Center, a school specifically for autistic children that provides OT, Speech and ABA. (Oh and they also do potty training!)They have a great theory that all children are teachable - but children do not all learn the same way, so you get to know the child and you teach them the way they like to learn. Right now they are just getting to know him and getting him used to the routine of things.

I have no experience with ABA but I know they have started teaching him a few mands. The thing that confuses me is that they are teaching him sign language as well as the verbal sound of the word. He's doing great - on day 2, he already has picked up 3 signs for reinforcers.

Don't get me wrong - I am all for sign language if he can't communicate any other way. But I know he can verbalize, because he does speak words when HE feels like it, and I am concerned that teaching him to sign will give him an "out" from speaking. They assure me that the signing will actually encourage the speech, but that seems odd to me. On the flip side, I want my son to be perfectly content communicating the way he is most comfortable. I can learn to sign ... it's a lot easier for me to change than for him to do so.

Any opinions or feedback? I would love to hear it!

Post edited by: briansmom, at: 06/02/2010 07:43 PM

I don't have much experience with the sign language thing but I understand how you feel, I would be worried too. But I am sure they know what they are talking about so try to relax and let go alittle. I know as mommies that is so hard to do! We are all here for ya!

Hi briansmom. I understand how you feel. My son started with similar therapy in January. I felt the same way but I have to tell you it has been 4 months and they really know what they are talking about. His communication is so much better. Unlike your son mine was not verbal at all. He now signs for many things and is trying to put words/sounds with it. I think the signs encourgage the verbal response. They have also put together and trained him on a pic book. Whereas 4 months ago we were basically guessing what he wanted now he communicates very well with his book. He is turning 3 next month and the school is going to continue teaching him using the book and signs he already knows. I agree speech would be nice but I have learned one step at a time. We are thrilled to be able to commmunicate and know that speech in time will work itself out. Good luck to you and your son. Try and keep an open mind. As hard as it is going to be sometimes just keep reminding yourself they have been heavly trained and really do know the best methods. But when in doubt always do what is best for you and your son. Best Wishes. Dustychen

I am not keen on sign,some actions do not represent the wanted item well. for me pecs and visuals all the way.I dont see how it can encourage speech though.

Also a communication device may also help it has helped my none verbal child .some are devices for just words which is what we have the lightwriter SL 35

however there is also the dynvox, which is really a portable pecs device

I also dont agree with ABA

Post edited by: spectrummum, at: 06/03/2010 06:26 AM

Payton also goes to a school for autistic children ,he has been ther nearly 2 months and the progress is AMAZING he was nearly non-verbal so they started off with sign language paired with the word like you i was worried that he would only use the sign but it was the complete opposite he has nearly 30 words i could not be more proud of him.

Well, we didn't have insurance. We didn't have money for special schools. I did phonics and the ABC's with Gabby putting one hand in her mouth and me letting her stick her other hand in mouth since she was a baby. She had motor problems with her mouth. A kiss was coming out a frog-faced lip-smack. She learned the sounds but disliked talking because it was hard for her when she was 3 to four. I took her toys and made her ask for water or what she wanted to play with. NO POINTING! She'd point I'd say the word and wait for her to give it back to me. Then we worked on her saying words better and better to get what she wanted. Then she talked good and cussed in checkout lines to annoy us when she was five! Five on she was very verbal and grew a huge vocabulary. Girl was not a worked on with it was still very primitive when the experts got hold of her. She had a few combo sounds to work on but she was very verbal. She spoke a sentence on time. It was "I see a car" then "I see a light" then nothing much for awhile until I took her toys and demanded words for everything. The important thing is if they can make the sounds with their mouth. Can they do phonics and get close enough to be understood? As far as getting her interested I talked in sing-song and everything else to keep her engaged. We sang phonics, ABCs, hummed them, whatever. You can try to engage your child by playing games where you make fun sounds, not words, just sounds back and forth to help them get more verbal too.

OH! I just had another thought. If a larger portion of the class isn't verbal and he can't understand sign, how will he have social interactions with the other kids? This is the hugest thing about those classes, getting the kids to interact with others. I wish Gabby could have had that. So signing probably won't hurt, but it will help him get along with the nonverbal children too.

We've been putting signs with words from the beginning because Aran is so young, and he's actually started CHOOSING to speak over the signs (yeah, I don't get it either).

The signs work for him as a tool to understanding basic communication (I want this, I need to make that understood). It also seems to remind him and reinforce him of the word he's using. For instance, "spin" is one he's recently mastered. For 3 weeks we signed and spoke it every time we did it. Finally, he signed it for me, but I continued to say it when he signed it. For a while he signed and spoke, but he's dismissed the sign and now usually just says it.

The funny part about it is that because we've just started and his speech isn't clear, sometimes the signs are easier to understand! "Spin" sounds more like "Ahhhhhgeeehn" right now.

Update: I asked them to explain this early basic process to me - on a very basic level, they say the word to him 3 times and give him a chance to repeat it for the reward, then if he does not say it they sign it while saying the word three times to see if he will copy them, and finally they will take his hands and assist him in signing while they speak the word. So he hears the word verbally seven times!

Besides language, they are also mainly working on skills such as sitting in a chair for a set amount of time without getting up, potty training and following directions without melt downs. Today was the end of one week at the center and he seems to be responding well. He is verbalizing one word requests to them... such as tickle, jump, swing, and some food words such as chip and candy. So I guess I need to just believe in it and enjoy the progress!

I am so happy to hear he is doing so well!