What we've got here is a failure to communicate

Brett using a switch to play music and activate a disco ball during a communication evaluation

This past week Brett had an evaluation for assisted communication - technically known as augmentative communications.
What is that?
In a nutshell It is technology used to help those with speech issues communicate with the rest of the world.
Brett has about a dozen consistent words that help him communicate through the day and he can say names occasionally and sometimes out of nowhere he will say a word as clear as a bell - like one night he said "Blackhawks" and he said it again the next morning and we haven't heard it again since. The brain is a mysterious thing!
There are many times when we feel bad because he will say the same thing over and over with the same sounds and inflection, but we can't figure out what he is trying to tell us. Sometimes it seems to frustrate him and most times it breaks my heart. The number of things that tumble out of my mouth each day with little effort - we take talking so for granted. But I think we've all felt that frustration when you couldn't make someone understand something you are explaining - directions, an idea...
Therapists all believe Brett's communication will continue to grow, but it is hard to know when it will all connect for him.
Until than we are seeking ways to help him communicate his needs and wants - basic things like "I'm hungry" or "I want to play".
We have a great friend who is a speech pathologist and she has recently helped us use a "switch". It is a big button that allows us to make a recording and he can hit the switch to say simple things like "Hi!" or"Amen".
So I was praying that Brett would have a good day during his evaluation. He is SO smart but just can't communicate his knowledge like other children his age. When he is having a bad day mostly he just communicates his unhappiness (don't we all :)
But Brett had a great day. He easily showed off all the skills he has learned and all the things he knows such as his animals and how to use his switch. The therapists testing him at Easter Seals put him in front of a computer where he used switches to scroll through choices. For example the computer would speak the nursery rhyme Humpty Dumpty and then would say Humpty got back on the wall and he was hungry. Should he eat French fries, pizza or ice cream? Brett had to hit one switch to scroll through the choices and another to make his choice. Even though we've never done multiple switches at home within a few minutes he was doing it like a pro. They also put small switches on his chair next to his head and he was able to make the choices using his head just by moving his head slightly from one side of the chair's headrest to the other. I was skeptical of this at first, but within 10 minutes he had mastered the skill and was loving the computer games. Tears were streaming down my face as I watched him enjoy the games and communicate with the therapists in ways he's never been able to before.
He played "Brett says" (like Simon says) and had us putting our hands on our heads, singing songs and leaving the room and coming back. For two hours Brett amazed and delighted me over and over.
We are going to be getting him an additional "switch" so he can begin communicating with others more and the therapists made recommendations for several things from special communication devices to computer software. Please pray that the state will approve the recommendations and we will have them quickly. Brett will age out of the state program when he turns 3 and we want to have plenty of time to receive the equipment and be trained on the technology so we can help him expand his communication.

And while I'm bragging about Brett - check this out:

Brett has physical therapy in the pool once a week where he has began to kick his legs. Here he is walking over to me with the help of his therapist.