Classmate Question on Learning to Communicate

A Classmate writes:

Hi Philip,

I just wanted to ask how you are taught or how you learn to speak sign language.  It seems hard to learn so I want to know how you learn it.  Also, how long did it take to learn what you know now?

Philip's response:

I do not know sign. I type my answers. My method of communication is Rapid Prompting Method. I learned when I was nine. I started by going to Austin, Texas to learn from Soma how to learn about lessons for kids my age. I was given lessons in math, science, history, and literature for the first time. My parents learned to teach me. I talked by pointing to letters on a letterboard to spell words. Later I learned to type. I still need an aide to help me stay focused and on task. This is because autism makes me captive to impulses. An aide helps me overcome my impulses so I can follow where my mind really wants to go. A lot of practice has gotten me far. I still have a long way to go.  People make my life better by politely helping me be peacefully included. I am always treated well at Heim.