Sharing the holidays, AAC style…

The holidays are a busy and wonderful time for us all, full of memories that should be cherished and shared. For children with Autism who are non-verbal or have limited expressive communication, this sharing of experiences is typically very limited. These experiences are typically shared with others by their parents or caregivers, and the child isn’t given the tools to share.

This no longer has to be the case. I’ve found that the use of “Talking Photo Albums” is and extremely fun way to help children share their experiences themselves. The way these talking photo albums work is that the pictures are inserted into the album, and a message can be recorded corresponding to each photo. Voila…the child pushes the button and is able to share their photos with peers!! This is a great way to use technology to facilitate the social interaction of sharing experiences and pictures and also can be used to build language around familiar events.

These talking photo albums can be used like an Alternative and Augmentative Communication device (AAC) to facilitate communication. It can also be used as a language teaching tool. Two great uses from an amazing little device. Isn’t technology fantastic!!

The best thing is that these devices are re-programmable. That means that after the holidays are over and the child has more experiences to share, new pictures can be put in the album and new messages recorded. Stop talking for your child and let them speak for themselves and share their experiences…this ability is so important and can help your child develop social and with their language.