I have a friend who is pretty much non-verbal. Her grandparents have been advised to start on on Facilitated Communication because she has problems finding PECS
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The first thing to do is progress in "baby steps" - to get the subject communicate in an environment with some token presence of another person, however small the gesture. Once they've done this, you've "opened the door" and can build incrementally on that small win.
However this is a huge step - but one thing that will motivate her is placing her in a situation where she is given two supposed choices, and speaking with someone else in the room or near the room is the most favourable choice - this is called a "double bind". She needs to fear the other option [and by fear I don't mean anything cruel or inhumane - I mean another social anxiety] more than speaking publicly.
The best course is not just FC programs, but having somebody who knows analytically psychology really well
She has not one but two developmental psychs working on this with her. One is recommending the FC. Since she won't even email people who are in the same town she is in, I don't see that happening. She just says she shuts down and she seems frightened. I know she was bullied at school by email, too, and I think this is an issue and conditioning that they haven't figured out how to overcome, yet.
I am not going to comment on the FC angle here, but I do have a comment to make about being uncomfortable with people watching/present when one is typing
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I have a few times had shut down with my dchabot04 with me, since she know sign language (she studying to be a interrupter) I learned a few signs. Thing like "i""yes""no""hurt""eat""need to use rest room" Maybe some flash-cards would help. you don't want too many, no more then 20. Too many choose can be bad.
Yes too many cards is bad if someone is shut down... or sometimes could be enough to cause someone to shut down, I would think. And I think that is the problem with her PECS. She has so many of them.
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The first thing to do is progress in "baby steps" - to get the subject communicate in an environment with some token presence of another person, however small the gesture. Once they've done this, you've "opened the door" and can build incrementally on that small win.
However this is a huge step - but one thing that will motivate her is placing her in a situation where she is given two supposed choices, and speaking with someone else in the room or near the room is the most favourable choice - this is called a "double bind". She needs to fear the other option [and by fear I don't mean anything cruel or inhumane - I mean another social anxiety] more than speaking publicly.
The best course is not just FC programs, but having somebody who knows analytically psychology really well
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Since she won't even email people who are in the same town she is in, I don't see that happening. She just says she shuts down and she seems frightened. I know she was bullied at school by email, too, and I think this is an issue and conditioning that they haven't figured out how to overcome, yet.
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I can definitely see your point, though. I think lots of people feel that way, too. But I don't think that's her issue.
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Thing like "i""yes""no""hurt""eat""need to use rest room"
Maybe some flash-cards would help. you don't want too many, no more then 20. Too many choose can be bad.
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