keyboarding kid

I went to a seminar last month to see 5 kids with Autism who use keyboarding devices as their primary form of communication. It was an emotional experience for me as I listened to the parents of these 5 teenagers tell MY story. They were told that there children were below average, possibly mentally retarded (or M.R.) as Max was falsely labeled. Three out to of the five of the presenters became honors students after being given a voiced. Hmmm...not M.R., more like G.A.T.E. I will share more about this at a later time as I am pooped and could go on and on about it.

Needless to say, it was inspiring and we have started doing some with Max. We took him to a class and he was the star pupil (for beginners). He did much better than Tom and I expected and was not only able to identify words, but also type some out. He has to be very focused to do so and he clearly isn't in the video that you see below, but I wanted to share a taste of it with you.

My hand is not guiding Max's. It is actually offering some resistance to keep him focussed and a little bit of support as he still has motor issues. I would never falsify any of this as it would be doing Max a great disservice. At the seminar, the parents told stories of people not believing them because of the hands being involved. Eventually, my hand will move to Max's shoulder and then be gone completely.

Melissa, Max's A.K.A. Max's Angel videoed as Max and I tried some typing. There are programs that will convert the typing into actual voice. That is our next step.

Keep collecting coins--9 days left and counting!
xoxo kim