Chatterbox

We had LAMP training at school today for me, school and respite. This was a useful four hours and I’m now able to add icons and change word labels. We’re slowly making the talker British; out with the jelly and in with the jam. I was surprised to find that Americans have doughnuts for breakfast (now re-labelled croissant). School and respite are both up for incorporating LAMP into the daily routine and I’m sure with this approach Archie will soon be saying a lot.

Archie had a session with Nikki his SALT tonight. This session really showed the potential for LAMP making a real difference in Archie’s life. It started as a pretty structured session working on I want eat (so we’re trying to replace nouns such as sweets, which he’s been using for years, with core vocab such as eat) which was pretty successful. Archie’s always motivated by eating. But we then moved onto just having a chat with the talker, and exploring as the conversation twisted and turned. Archie finds it hilarious that Nikki doesn’t drive and walks and Archie began to use the device spontaneously. Nikki modelled car no and Archie replied car yes, before killing himself laughing. We moved onto talking about the strike tomorrow. The kitchen in school is broken and Archie will be going to school by car rather than bus. All modelled and then reproduced by Archie. He asked for more and more vocabulary and soaked it up as we showed him. He was pretty annoyed that I potentially get to go to the beach tomorrow and he doesn’t, and in the process learned ‘go beach’.

I wish I’d videoed the SALT session. I think Archie said more in that hour than he’s said in the last 12 years. Instead I’ll finish with a photo of him and his youngest brother at the beach recently. Louis is half Archie’s age, but likes to look after him – he was worried he was too close to the river here.