
Siri and I are not friends. She never listens to me. If I don’t ask my question quickly, she presumes then provides an answer that isn’t even close to what I was looking for. While I struggle to get her to respond correctly, the husband listens with amusement. He has a good working relationship with Siri. He is more succinct. They get along well.
While working on the AACtion plan, I found it pretty straightforward. No problem remembering the words. Easy peasy to incorporate them with our vocabulary. However, this morning when it came time to test myself, my mind went blank, I froze and had to use the search button more than once (twice to be specific) for words that I had used only moments earlier. It seems whenever I find myself under pressure, it’s hard to find my words. Doesn’t matter if I’m being verbal, or using Speak for Yourself. I’ve noticed this happening to Jess too.
Today I read a post that said we need to model/ prompt 20x an hour. We are woefully not even close to this amount (this is another goal to shoot for). Focusing on modeling these last two weeks has doubled my speed and Jess has increased her usage. Just as important, Jess has raised her level of engagement. I love seeing her go off into another room and search for words. She knows the only way to learn is by practicing. Learning language is never ending and this is a good thing!
Jess’s device is always in reach. The AACtion plan made us realize that we need to have our devices out more. It’s really quite a sight at dinner time. Where most families need to put devices away, ours are all out on the table and we are talking!
Why Jess chose Speak for Yourself