A Conversation With My Non-Verbal Son

My 5-year-old son recently got his first speech-generating device, and he is absolutely LOVING it.

Now, at the push of a button, he can call me from another room.

Now, he can easily carry his "voice" with him wherever he goes.

"Mom, we need to talk."

And best of all, now he can more clearly say what he wants to say. 

Which is usually "go for a walk."

Going for a walk is his favorite thing to do, especially along a busy street, where he can observe cars, trucks, and buses going by. Pre- device—or "talker," as my husband and I call it—he would ask to go for a walk by saying "Go."

While my husband and I usually understood what he meant by "Go" (his only consistently spoken word), we weren't always 100% sure: Did he mean "go for a walk," or did he mean "go away"?

His talker makes it easy for him to clarify:

1. Touch "go" (Talker says "go")

2. Touch "for a walk" (Talker says "for a walk")

3. Optional: Touch the top bar (Talker says "Go for a walk")

And clarify he does. A lot. Here's a recent conversation we had:

O on talker: Go for a walk

Me: Sorry, but we can't go for a walk. It's too cold outside.

O on talker: Go for a walk

Me on talker: Cold cold cold cold cold [O giggles]

O on talker: Please I love you

Me: Aww, you're so sweet! [gives him a hug]

O on talker: Go for a walk

I have to say, he made a very compelling argument...

Persistence pays off.