Each autistic nonspeaker I know is trying to become independent with their communication.
Gregory C. Tino
Of course. Why wouldn’t we? If you have something to say, you want to be able to do it without help. Typing seems to be the holy grail for most.
Why?
Because the sad but true fact is that the skeptics don’t believe that communication on a letterboard is our authentic voice. Having a CRP (communication and regulation partner) to hold the letterboard and keep us regulated is something we have difficulty doing for ourselves. Trust me, if we could do it, we would.
Disregarding the words of the many autistics who learned to communicate with a letterboard because you are a skeptic is a terrible tragedy! Some autistics are so affected by their apraxia that they will never be able to type, no matter how much they practice. Why should we disregard what they have to say?
I am one of the lucky ones who is able to type. My apraxia is there, believe me, but I have been slowly learning how to become an independent typer. I have been working on this for years, probably about three years by now. Some days are EASIER, but no day is ever EASY. Apraxia decides the type of day you will have. History has shown me that I am on a slow trajectory of progress and it keeps me going. I have all the time in the world to work on this. I have gone from typing just a few words independently to once, a whole page! Communication and writing are going to be my lifelong goal.
Seems to me that everyone defines “independent” differently. For me right now, my “independent” is that my keyboard is now placed on a stand in front of me and my CRP no longer needs to hold it. I still need my CRP sitting next to me for regulation support – giving me words of encouragement to keep going, to slow down if I am going too fast and getting sloppy, or to give me a break if I need it. To the skeptics, “independent” is one thing only – typing in a room all by yourself with no support of any kind. Once an autistic nonspeaker gets to that point, the skeptics will probably move the goalposts once again. They will say “now we need you to type on your keyboard on a mountaintop during an earthquake and then we will believe in your abilities.” I have stopped trying to convince them and instead focus on people with a more open mind.
Typing independently is the hardest thing I have ever done. My apraxic body is like a drunk toddler. Like trying to wrangle a bunch of kittens. In other words, it is HARD! What helps me is a rested body, a quiet room, and a calm and encouraging CRP. Finding the best time of day can be challenging. I can’t be too hungry, or busy, or preoccupied with something else. The moon and stars have to align! I joke, but that is how it seems to be in the beginning. Now I am finding I can do it over an increasing number of situations. So, I keep going. I practice weekly in my Spelling to Communicate sessions with my practitioner and good friend, Tom Foti, from Inside Voice. Then I try to practice at least a couple of times weekly with my mom and partner in crime, Linda Tino. I am incredibly thankful and humbled that people will spend so much time sitting with me day after day, hour after hour, trying to get me to my goal of independent typing. In the meantime, I will continue on with what I have accomplished so far. I am a blogger at The Autistic Mind Finally Speaks on WordPress. I have a YouTube channel where I have videos I have written trying to educate about autism and also with poetry I have written. I have a Facebook page and I have written and self-published six books on Amazon.
Typing is typing no matter who is sitting next to you. Try to keep an open mind and maybe seven years from now I will be typing to you from a submarine at the bottom of the sea.
That will show them!
Gregory C. Tino is a non-speaking autistic self-advocate. To contact Gregory, email gregory.tino13@gmail.com.
