Working Together

- [Narrator] Including someone who gets physical communication supports.

- [Device] Independent.

- Independent.

- [Interviewer] Yeah, and for recording, was that yes or no?

- Yes.

- [Interviewer] Okay, and- Turn your volume up.

- [Device] Yes.

- [Interviewer] You were telling me that verbal is not always reliable, but and you are saying that when it's, like, repeated, like-

- Yes, if you ask him the same question multiple times and you get the same answer twice, then it's verbally reliable.

- [Interviewer] Okay.

- To just ask him once, he might be repeating what you said the last time.

- [Interviewer] Okay.
- Or that he's saying something else instead, but when you get that same answer more than once, then that tends to be very reliable.

- [Interviewer] Okay, so Thad, the other thing I wanna ask you is, because we did that interview and I created the video and I want you to look at it again, and then tell me with your voice or with your independent typing if you agree that this is really what is your experience, okay? Let's watch it, and then you tell me if you're good with that, if it's really what you want. Thank you so much for joining me and being willing to answer some questions about your experience of being on the autism spectrum. So my first question is, how old were you when you were diagnosed with autism?

- [Device] It was just before my fourth birthday.

- [Interviewer] How did you communicate with your…

- [Narrator] Provide other ways to confirm, agree, or protest, like speech, typing on their own, gestures, or AAC.

- [Interviewer] Okay, so is that okay? Is that really what you wanted to say? You have to tell me by yourself, because I wanna know, like, if you're good with what you said, so you can just say yes or no, and if it's no, then you tell me more about it. Is that yes?

- Yes.

- [Interviewer] Okay.

- Yes.

- [Interviewer] Can I hear it with your sound there?

- [Device] Yes.

- [Narrator] Research partners should receive support to communicate on their own. This video shows facilitated communication. We are not endorsing facilitated communication.