I want to say something

Feelings

Itching

Stomach pain

And he is saying his knees are paining because he has been cycling on Friday, he showed you

But I wanted him to say knee pain.

Can you say it properly?

So that…others won’t understand, right?

Go to feeling…I want to say something.

Feelings.

For Moov, you need, because of what?

Where it is paining?

Where is it paining?

Knee pain.

Yes, so you have knee pain and that’s why you need Moov, right?

That’s all I was asking.

Cause I understand your stomach pain.

So, my son Nishant is a non-speaking autistic person.
And we did go through the regular therapies uh till he was about 6-7 years old.
But he always had a lot to say and I felt that it was very important to give him a voice, through whatever means.

Of course as his mother I could understand what he needed and what he wanted to convey or what he felt.

But I felt it was important for him to communicate with the rest of the world.

And so it was at that age, that we started working and on alternative modes of communication.

We started with a system called PECS - Picture Exchange Communication System which consisted of cards.

Then we moved on to something called VOCA, which is a Voice Output Communication Device.

It was a device with a limited amount of uh icons he could press and would speak out for him and this was way back in the early 2000s, till 2004-5.

And uh but pictures were limited in their scope, so we also taught him how to type.

And that is also a challenge so we uh learned to use this kind of a letter chart where he could spell out but this also meant that somebody was holding it, writing down what he said.

So I kept looking for ways where he could communicate with uh others in detail through typing and that’s when we hit upon something called Clicker.

And Clicker actually is one of the first things that he started using where he could type and then it would speak what he typed.

So um then uh we also started using around 2010, is when we started using AVAZ.

So this is uh an icon based communication system so he could just press one icon and it conveys what he needs to say.

So, Nishant by nature is very impatient and he has, like I said, a lot to say and he wants a response immediately. He wants things to happen fast.

So, and we used a mixture of icon based systems, of typing, of the letter chart and he uses gestures.

So, all that put together, he’s able to communicate his thoughts, needs, wants and much beyond.

He’s even authored, co-authored, a book called “Talking Fingers” uh which consists of 16 people like him.

So, um, you know, there are many like him, who need these methods to uh empower them, uh to communicate their needs, right from basic needs to complex thoughts and feelings
And it is only through this that they can be included in day-to-day life.

They can have uh not only a voice but also a choice and they can advocate for themselves.

So I’ve seen all that happen with Nishant uh and it’s been my mission in life so I do help other parents and anyone who would like to learn um with these methods.

You want to sit here?

He was waiting for you to come in and close the door.

Say come. Come.