All children love it when the adults around them are genuinely interested in what they are doing, instead of interfering. They like to engage in conversations with such people more than others. The feeling of being heard and understood is very precious in a conversation.

For individuals on the Autism spectrum, communication is quite atypical. Many autistics find it difficult to be heard or understood. Many a time, whether the child can speak or not, the communication stops with being need based. The children ask for things they need. That's about it. That's barely enough for any of us to feel heard and satisfied.

Avaz is an app that is useful for communication for non speaking individuals on the spectrum. We work with a 7 year old who had started using Avaz recently. One day, as he was doing an activity in therapy, he pulled the tab towards him, went into the quick folder and said 'Stop'.

The therapist was surprised as they had not taught that. They had this conversation on Avaz.

Therapist: Do you want to do this activity? Child : No

Therapist: Do you want a break? Child: Yes

They took a break and came back to the activity.

What would have happened if the child did not have access to Avaz?

Just imagine the child not being able to ask for this break when he wanted. Imagine the therapist not being able to understand why he wasn't comfortable.

Let's prioritize communication over everything.