Just thouight I would share this with everyone. Last week it was DS's class assembly. He is 5, ASD and non-verbal, but attends mainstream school (part-time with one-to-one TA). He communicates by typing on a device (at present a Kindle Fire), which he carries around with him, and it has text to speech software on it so you can hear what he says.
It's always a bit sad for us when he have to go to assemblies and plays etc, as increasingly of course the other kids have lines to say or songs tio sing, and DS can't do that. Well, last week he did! His TA (with some encouragement from our lead tutor) connected his device to the speaker system on the stage, and at the end of the show DS came onto the stage by himself and wrote "Thank you for coming to our assembly", then pressed the speak button and it was transmitted over the speakers. Everyone clapped and DH had tears in his eys (I could not be there unfortunately).
It just goes to show how a caring and creative teacher can make a difference! Not only because DS was able to feel part of the assembly, but also because many of the other parents, who just know DS as the little boy who can't speak but carries a Kindle around with him all the time, realised that he can actually communicate and that there is more to him than meets the eye!