Talking with Pictures

The digital camera would be used by staff and non-verbal special needs students to take pictures of objects and/or people so that they can make requests for items pictured or get the attention of the person pictured. Students who are non-verbal, especially those with autism, are better able to understand what a picture represents if it is a picture of the actual object instead of a drawn picture. For example, if a student wants a drink of milk and is unable to speak, the student can select a picture showing the actual milk carton brand used by the school and hand it to a classroom staff member who can then get the item for them. Also, if a student wants to see the school nurse, that student could take a picture of the school nurse to the teacher to make that request. A digital camera would allow the staff to take those pictures and either print them out to be carried by the student or to put them on the computer or a speaking device for the students to make their requests electronically. I currently have 5 non-verbal students on my caseload. Two use drawn pictures and 3 use or will soon be using speaking devices. All of these students have difficulty making their basic needs known and would not be able to do so without using pictures (electronically or manually) to communicate.