The Gift of Communication
My Story (Charnita Jones-Mitchell AKA Kia)
When I first became a Speech Language Pathologist (SLP), I started working with high school students with various disabilities including Down syndrome, Williams syndrome, autism, and many others. My students have a special place in my heart, and I have the opportunity to watch them develop and progress from 14 years old to 18. Some students are until 22 years old, depending on their programming. Although I have worked with all types of groups, the students with Autism intrigue me the most. Autism Spectrum Disorder is an appropriate name for this developmental disability, as it can include a range of skills and “areas of need” that vary in each individual.
I will never forget a question one of my students with Autism asked my first year as an SLP. “Ms. Jones, why does the world say BE YOURSELF? Oh wait…NOT LIKE THAT!” He was right! We encourage people to be their own person, but society has dictated what is “normal.” This particular student changed my way of thinking and his question drove my passion to help students communicate in their own way, working on thoughts and ideas important to them. People with Autism have a unique way of processing the world around them. There are people with Autism who are non-verbal with an intellectual disability, while others are verbal with “genius IQs”. In the last 13 years, I have worked with a “spectrum” of students with Autism. Each year when I think I have worked with every type of student with Autism you can imagine, the new school year begins, and I am introduced to a student with Autism unlike any other student I have met.
My approach with this unique group as well as my other students is to give the gift of communication that is functional and most important to each student and parent. Each student and parent have unique and specific concerns as to what part of their child’s communication are of critical need. This is an important method to flippin’ the script to normative disability narratives in education, where there is a lack of agency for young people with a disability to navigate their lived experiences.
For example, I had a student who was a non-verbal communicator with an intellectual disability and her mom wanted her to interact with neurotypical students in the school outside of her self-contained Life Skills room. I spoke with the school store sponsor and was able to have this student be a greeter! I programmed a teenage girl’s voice stating, “Hello, welcome to the school store” on a voice output device. The student activated the device by pushing a button each time a student walked into the school store. The student would smile and appeared to enjoy the other students responding to her greetings and being able to engage socially with other peers “in her own way.” Another student that was verbal with “above average IQ” and “areas of need” in social language, wanted to establish a relationship with a girl he was interested in being more than friends with. He had difficulty initiating interactions and asking questions to show interest in others. He and I discussed her interest, focused on different ways to initiate interaction, and practiced questions to spark a conversation based on her interest. Eventually, this student was comfortable enough to ask her to a dance, and she said, “Yes!”
I was able to give the gift of communication to two different types of students based on what was important to the student as an individual. This is why I love what I do! Being able to send and receive messages both verbally and non-verbally is critical to ensure one gets their (i) wants/needs met, (ii) expresses their thoughts/ideas, and (iii) interacts socially with others. The role of a Speech Language Pathologist is to improve one’s ability to do just that, communicate! What a rewarding job I have?!
Gift of communication services and bookings for young people with autism: Charnita (+1 281-728-8392)
