Reply to Seeking advice on sign language for mostly non-verbal ASD son

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[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]DS is six years old, on the spectrum, with major issues in expressive communication.  We've tried speech therapy for over two years now, and there has not been much progress.  He can say some words -- "I don't know" is his default response to any question --  and can speak more easily with prompts, but often seems to have problems getting a word out on his own.  We are coming to accept that he will likely be mostly non-verbal, and are considering whether to take up sign language to supplement his communication skills. [b]The alternative is to wait for him to learn to type and rely on assistive technology.   
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Does anyone have any advice on how to approach this?

And if we go forward with sign language, should I learn it first, so that I can help him learn it later?  Or should the family learn it at the same time, so we can determine in real time whether sign language is appropriate for him?  Also, are there affordable facilities near Bethesda that teach sign to people with hearing (parent or child)?  I don't think DVDs or apps will be that effective for me — given my old brain, new languages are hard to learn.

Also, any thoughts on learning ASL versus signed speech?

Thanks in advance for your thoughts![/quote]

I'm baffled by the bolded.  There are many assistive tech solutions that don't involve typing.  I would probably choose symbol based AAC over signing, and definitely over typing, in your situation.

Do you have a gage of his receptive language skills?  In my experience (special ed teacher) kids who have low receptive and expressive language skills often benefit from a keyword approach using either sign or high tech AAC.  So if we were playing a game, I might say "hey WAIT a minute!  It's MY TURN!" and sign or model on a device the words WAIT MY TURN.

If I did choose sign, I'd use ASL signs, but not with ASL grammar.  I'd use a keyword approach, with English word order, but just the most important words signed or modeled.

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