4MyChild: Help and Hope for Life

December 1, 2006

Tools for Special Needs Living: Personalized Communication Cards and Interactive Booklets

To help with the frustration that comes with not being understood you can use communication cards. These cards have pictures to use that help children and adults living with cerebral palsy better express themselves.

They have also been helpful with anyone with brain injury or autism; the cards let them communicate with family, friends and care givers.

Some families choose to make their own , use a simple board and their own photos (photos taken of items in the home) food, clothing, places, toys etc. Personalized photos make a big difference. These cards feature the person using them, and the things, people, places that are important to them.

Their wants and needs, and thoughts are directed through photographs that feature THEM. When they look at their booklets or cards they are looking at a part of their lives, giving them the connection that is often times missing with other communication aides.

Kay from of www.chattykatcommunication.com makes personalized cards and booklets for many families and writes

“I have found with non-verbal individuals that typical picture exchange is about wants and needs…bypassing any communication about themselves. With personalized and interactive communication aides they can be included in ways they are usually not included in. They can do more than hand over a card to request something…they can communicate that they like something. Let me give you a more direct example.

I recently worked with a gal at a group home, age 24 and with cerebral palsy. I’ll call her ‘Lisa’. Lisa could not communicate except for in high pitch squeals. She could not communicate well with sign language. She often stared off, but I could tell she was waiting for me to guess what she wanted. Misunderstanding her often led to her frustration and consequently a great outburst. One day, while cleaning out her closet I came upon a small photo book, and in it were photos of her in a variety of activities: sitting on her bed, in front of the van that took her to her day care facility, her eating, her near the bath tub. I handed her the booklet that had been tossed on the shelf in her closet and she came alive! She carried the booklet everywhere, and she smiled and delighted in it! If she had a want, a need, a wish…I could more easily give her what she wanted. Her outbursts decreased tremendously. It was through her and my 5 yr old autistic son that I seen a more personalized and interactive way to communicate.”

Kay makes the cards and booklets from your supplied photos. Send her pictures by email and she will make personalized booklets for you family. Her booklets range in price from around $15 – $35.00.

You can view sample pages of the booklets here http://www.chattykatcommunication.com/catalogue.html.