Bentley received and Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis on 12/16/20 from The Thompson Center at the University of Missouri, Columbia. He received a level 3 in social communication and repetitive patterns of behavior. The family is also seeking a vision screening at Children’s Mercy Hospital.
Bentley is the sweetest little boy who loves to throw and watch cartoons. He has difficulty communicating his wants and needs and uses only two words consistently (Dada and shark). He attempts words and has a few signs that include, “more”, “please”, “milk”, “yes”, “eat”, “water”, “shoe”. These signs are helpful but very limited for the wide variety of wants and needs that a 2 year old may have. Bentley seems to try to say words, but he just has difficulty making the sounds.
When he does not get what he wants or can not communicate what he wants, he will often throw a fit. When he has a tantrum, he will throw, hit, cry, scream, bang his head on the floor and flails. Having a way for Bentley to communicate would be amazing for him and us, as his parents. We are hopeful to receive this device for him before he transitions from Missouri First Steps in August so we have an opportunity to be educated by our providers. We have tried a low-tech system with pictures, however, this has not been successful yet, as Bentley wants to play with the pictures.
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