Caring For Friends

By Philip

I am so happy to have friends. Caring for my friends is accepting them as they are and helping them fare better in life.  I love being able to help. Caring for my friends addressing communication is giving my life an honest purpose. I most desire to make rpm (Rapid Prompting Method) and communication for autistics a priority. I want my nonverbal friends to have a voice to make their thoughts known and have more control in their lives. I have had my life change because of rpm. Meaningful communication came into action. Before I could do rpm, I was stuck in my mind. No one knew how much I knew and how I wanted to reach them to let them know I was with them, participating in their conversations even though I looked not to care.  I am heartfully advocating to give my nonverbal peers a chance to find their voices. Advocating for creating opportunities to make rpm available and accepted at school is important. My school practices rpm a lot. I love it there. Having teachers who understand me makes a purposeful education possible. Peace is achieved when communication is heard. I would like to help my friends escape their silent prisons and enter the world to enjoy it like everyone else. I long for a world in which all people have a voice. I hope to make more friends as I eagerly accept my life's quest.  Friends make life happy and memorable.

Copyright 2015 Philip Reyes.  All rights reserved.

Celebrating 25 Years of the Americans with Disabilities Act

Today Philip and I talked about the 25th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), a monumental legislation for people with disabilities. "Nothing about us, without us!" has been the rallying cry of the Disability Rights movement.  Much like the Civil Rights movement of the 1960s tackled the issue of racism, the ADA's goal has been to reverse the attitude of ableism, the belief that disability is an inferior state of personhood.  The ADA demands we acknowledge disabled citizens as having the same rights as non-disabled people to access employment, transportation, housing, and accommodations.  The Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) was also revised and passed in 1990 to ensure all students with disabilities the right to a Free Appropriate Public Education (FAPE), with an Individualized Education Program (IEP), in a Least Restrictive Environment (LRE).  There have been great strides made in making public facilities accessible, but much work still needs to be done, especially in employment and education.  -Lisa

By Philip (written 7/25/15)

Talking about the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) makes me glad I am an American living today. Tomorrow is the 25th anniversary of the ADA. I am going to Canalside tomorrow to celebrate. Would you like to come? America is a great country to protect the rights of all citizens.

I think that we have come a long way since 1990 but we still have a way to go. I am lucky I am not institutionalized. I am able to go to regular school with accommodations because of this law and IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act). In my school I have access to learning like everyone else. I am so glad my country makes laws to cancel the discrimination we once faced. I think the IDEA law attaches people to society more by allowing kids like me an education with their peers. But as an Autistic, I still see room for improvement. My friends who are nonverbal or can't communicate well are still mostly segregated from mainstream schools. I want to change that. I got the chance to leave special school because I learned RPM (Rapid Prompting Method) and how to communicate. I know many kids can learn like me. They just need the opportunity to be taught RPM. People in education should try what works for many of us who can't express ourselves otherwise. I hope we can continue to make progress. ADA makes it possible. 

President Bush signing the ADA

Copyright 2015 Philip Reyes.  All rights reserved.

Spelling Gives Us A Voice

By Philip

LS writes: 

Hi Philip!

My name is LS and I'm the mother to a wonderful 3.5 year old autistic boy who is nonverbal. I have been reading through your blog for a week or so and love learning from you! 8 months ago we discovered Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and bought my son the app "Speak for Yourself". He is doing amazingly communicating with it! He has stunned his school staff and they have been inspired to try to incorporate the app with as many other children in his school as possible. I am so proud of him for showing that a 3 year old can use a robust communication device and shouldn't be limited to one with only a few words, as they previously assumed. He is showing the world what we already knew - that he is a very bright boy with a huge desire to share his thoughts, feelings, and sense of humor with everyone around him.

Philip, my question to you is whether you have had any introduction to high-tech AAC or whether you have friends or classmates who use these devices? My son does love letters and has a keyboard built into the app and I am sure he will love typing someday but right now he is able to use motor planning to remember where approximately 600 words are on his device and we are constantly adding more. I am new to the world of communication for nonverbal people and have been eager to see if anyone who uses RPM also uses AAC devices instead of or in addition to a letterboard or keyboard?

Thank you for your time! I hope you have a wonderful day!

Sincerely,

LS

Philip writes:

My experience with AAC began when I was 6. I started on Go-Talk. It had only a few icons. It was good for requesting but not much else. Then I got an Alt-Chat. It became my voice at school. However I was not able to communicate with it with my family. They did not know how to use it. I kind of tried but I could not express my thoughts with the pictures. I could only make requests for food. I do best with a keyboard. I am able to express myself best making use of a good vocabulary. I am most happy using letters. The words I spell are what I think. Good communication systems let you say what you really mean. The AAC programs are often geared to me making a practiced response. I have to navigate the pages to find what I am looking for. I can't always find the right picture. It makes it harder to communicate for me. At school, I use Proloquo2go. I use some icons for shortcuts like bathroom and break. I like the combination of icons and text. I am for AAC with a text option. At home I use a paper letterboard or iPad with the Assistive Express app. My app allows me to have an actual voice to what I type.

In making my thoughts known I can be free to live my life how I choose because people can understand me. I am peaceful knowing I am free to really speak my mind. I speak to save my Autistic friends from an established philosophy that is not true. Demeaning treatment of Autistic people must stop.  ABA (Applied Behavioral Analysis) treats us like animals to be trained.  The lack of understanding of autism guides the philosophy that Autistics cannot learn normally or make friends.  Autism is not lack of intelligence or empathy. It is mind-body disconnect and sensory differences. Good accommodations are what is needed. Doing the research on Autistic people who communicate should help professionals in the autism field. I think they should meet us to learn from us.  I want to teach others.

Will you listen?

 High-Tech AAC iPad

Low-Tech AAC Letterboard

(made on computer and laminated on card stock for stability)

Copyright 2015 Philip Reyes.  All rights reserved.

World Autism Awareness Day 2015

By Philip

I want people to know autism is another way of being. I am weary of stereotypes that make us out to be less human than neurotypicals. I have listened to people talk negatively about autism since I was diagnosed. I learned to hate myself and think I was a monster for causing so much hardship. I can't let others continue living under popular ideas about autism. Let’s pretend you are like me. You can't talk; but having a thinking mind, you can understand. Imagine you are each day answering back what you mean to say. But only you can hear it. People hear your voice saying things you don't necessarily mean. They think that’s all you are capable of thinking.  People see you stimming by your repetitive flapping or tapping. They think there is no purpose. They don't understand the minute you stop, the moment is flooded with lights that hum, loud sounds that echo, kids moving too fast for me to keep up with, and people trying to engage me. It is hard on me to put my stims away but I try. People see your hyper movement. They prefer you to sit quietly. It’s hard to feel my body in space. I prefer to move because I can feel my body better and peacefully work. I work better sitting than I used to. The reason is now I get interesting lessons.

Interesting subjects like math, science, social studies, and language arts really stimulate my thinking, ease my mind, and teach me something about the world. I was not always taught in the way I am now. Many years of my life were spent in ABA school. I was made to do my drills over and over until I was so bored and frustrated with my teachers. I would melt down. I am telling you ABA is not the solution. ABA is long hours meeting pointless goals like pointing to flashcards and pointing to my nose. If pointless goals are your passion, then I pity your kids. People need to be able to set their own goals. No person should be without a voice. I believe in teaching communication first. Meaningful communication means being able to say what I really want to say. People must believe we are capable and our minds are intact.

Most importantly, my parents have been great. Love is felt when you are accepted. Love is felt peacefully when you are no longer seen by your momentary deficits but by your attributes that make you a complete person.

I peacefully make friends now. I learn normally. My school values me. I make my own goals. My parents support me by communicating to others about autism and me. They play. They make my life as normal as possible.

I think autism is no better or worse than a typical life. Each life is special in its own way. I love my life as autistic.