Brothers with autism learn to communicate for the first time

Stacy Mason is a social worker with two sons, Trevor, 24, and Tyler, 22. Both have autism. Also called Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASDs), autism presents in many ways but is most often referred to as a group of developmental disabilities that can cause significant social, communication, and behavioral challenges.  

 

Stacy’s sons are non-speaking but not “non-verbal.” Trevor and Tyler have been unable to communicate since birth. But that’s beginning to change. 

 

“We’ve found that their language is intact,” says Stacy. “They never had the motor skills to share their thoughts, dreams, and desires with us.” 

 

Discovery

Pre nešto više od godinu dana, Stejsi je naučila za "Pravopis za komunikaciju," augmentativnu ili pomoćnu metodu komunikacije. "Kao roditeljski trener, radio sam sa porodicom koja ga je koristila. Znali su da imam dva sina koji ne govore i podijelili su sa mnom ono što su naučili", rekla je Stacy.

 

Over the years, Stacy had tried many ways to help her sons communicate, from dietary interventions to various out-of-the-box treatments. Nothing helped until she tried Spelling to Communicate. 

 

"Pisanje za komunikaciju je veoma nisko tehnološki," rekla je Stejsi. "Počinješ sa tablom za pisma. Ohrabrio sam svoje sinove da koriste svoje grube motoričke sposobnosti da ukažu na tablu da speluju reči." Za nekoliko mjeseci, Trevor i Tyler su komunicirali sa svojom majkom. 

 

"Bila sam tako iznenađena. Moji sinovi su imali mišljenje o politici i globalnom zagrijavanju i htjeli su glasati. Podijelili su s nama da žele otići u Barcelonu", rekla je Stacy. "Otišli smo na odmor u Barcelonu!" 

 

Stacy je plakala svaki put kad su joj sinovi rekli nešto novo. "Sve je izašlo... 20 godina onoga što su hteli da nam saopšti. Takav je dar imati ovo." 

 

Stacy says some things were very profound, like her sons telling how much they appreciated all the work she had done to advocate for them. “And then there were some things I didn’t want to hear,” she chuckled. “Like, ‘Can you knock before coming into my room?'” 

Progress

Soon, Trevor and Tyler progressed from spelling on the letter board to typing on a Bluetooth keyboard that works with a text-to-speech app. Trevor and Tyler will eventually be able to type on their own. “It takes a lot of practice and is tricky,” added Stacy. “You need to help them along but not influence their responses.” 

 

Stacy’s sons are now participating by spelling in poetry and book clubs. They even share their thoughts with their doctors.  

 

"Veoma sam srećan što mogu da podelim ovu informaciju sa članovima LIFEPlan-a. Mogućnost komunikacije promijenila mi je život", rekao je Trevor.

 

Stacy kaže da je Tyler izrazio da je bio depresivan kada je prvi put počeo slovkati. Bio je zatvoren u sebi, ali sada javlja da je njegova depresija nestala. Beznadežnost i bespomoćnost s kojom se borio prije nego što je mogao komunicirati su olakšani.

 

Tyler je rekao: "Sve dobre stvari su mi se dogodile otkad sam počeo slovkati. Drago mi je da će mnogo više ljudi znati o pravopisu da komuniciraju nakon što pročitaju ovu priču."

Spelling to Communicate Documentary

The Spelling to Communicate approach is featured in a new documentary, “SPELLERS.” Actor Jenny McCarthy-Walhberg and her husband Donnie serve as the executive producers. They are parents to a son who has autism.

"SPELLERS" ističe da smo možda potcenili sposobnosti više od 50 miliona ljudi. Dokumentarac je odabran za filmske festivale i prikazuje se širom svijeta. Počevši od 20. aprila, javnost će moći privatno da prikazuje SPELLERS online.

“My sons hope to become leaders in the spelling to communicate movement. I am currently training to become a practitioner to teach others,” said Stacy. “There’s so much catching up to do. Spelling to Communicate has allowed us to know our children for the first time.” 

 

LIFEPlan CCO ne podržava Spelling to Communicate kao alternativni metod komunikacije ili daje bilo kakve izjave o tome da li ljudi treba da učestvuju u ovoj ili bilo kojoj drugoj terapiji. Priča o članovima LIFEPlan-a dijeli se u znak priznanja mnogim organizacijama koje podržavaju ljude na njihovom putovanju sa IDD-om.