Journeys of Hope Podcast - Episode Ten

In today's world, effective communication is crucial, yet many face significant barriers. This is especially true for children with communication challenges. In this episode of Journeys of Hope, we explore the transformative power of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) through the lens of personal experiences and expert insights. In commemoration of National Speech-Language-Hearing Month, Host, Rebecca Solomon, speaks with Assistant Director of Speech Pathology at Blythedale Children's Hospital, Marnina Allis, CCC-SLP, ATP along with Sarah and John FitzSimmons, who help us uncover how AAC empowers children like Autumn and also enriches the lives of their families.

You can also listen to this episode on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and YouTube.

Key Takeaways:

1. The role of AAC in childhood communication development
2. Challenges and misconceptions about AAC
3. Family involvement and support in AAC use

TRANSCRIPT

Rebecca Solomon (00:05)
Hello and welcome to Journeys of Hope, a podcast from Blythedale Children's Hospital inspired by the strength, resilience and unshakable spirit of medically fragile children. My name is Rebecca Solomon. In today's episode, we're exploring the life-changing impact of augmentative and alternative communication, also known as AAC.

I'm joined by Marnina Allis a speech language pathologist and assistive technology professional at Blythedale as well as Sarah and John FitzSimmons, whose daughter Autumn uses AAC. Together, we'll talk about what communication looked like before AAC, the challenges and breakthroughs along the way, and how finding a voice can transform not just one life, but an entire family.

Introduce yourselves and share what brought you into the world of AAC, John?

John Fitzsimmons (00:58)
I'm John, I'm Autumn's dad.

With Sarah, we became kind of part of the Blythedale family about three years ago. And a big part of that was getting Autumn into a good speech

From our perspective, she's a very bright little girl and with her cerebral palsy, it's a significant challenge for her to communicate with us and communicate those needs.

Sarah FitzSimmons (01:21)
I would echo everything that John said. think ⁓ since Autumn started at 18 months at Blythedale, her speech program has been phenomenal. And I think this recent edition of the AAC has been really awesome and empowering for her.

Rebecca Solomon (01:34)
Marnina?

Marnina Allis (01:35)
So I've been working with AAC for a while. I actually fell into it when I was working here at Blythedale. was really my first exposure. ⁓ There are many speech therapists out there who will never work with AAC, ⁓ but here at Blythedale we have lots of patients who do use it. And I was starting to learn about it as I started my professional journey here.

that voice to children in an alternative way. So it's really been a fast moving and progressing field and it's been fun to learn all the different changes and introduce the new and emerging technology to our kids.

Rebecca Solomon (02:12)
It's wonderful. I'm looking forward to really hearing more about AAC and how it does benefit our children and Autumn's experience. Marnina, as a speech and language pathologist and assistive technology professional, how would you explain AAC to someone who has never heard of it before?

Marnina Allis (02:30)
So the easiest way to explain it is any way somebody communicates that's non-verbal. When you think about ⁓ augmentative communication, it's something that can add to your speech. So we all use augmentative communication all the time. We use gestures, we use facial expressions, we use typing and texting is also a form of augmentative communication, but it can also be alternative. So for children who are non-verbal or have unintelligible speech or limited speech,

it really can give them a way to open their worlds and their verbal communication. It can be as simple as a picture board ⁓ to as complex as a high tech device, either an iPad with a communication app or a tablet with a communication app that you might just use your finger to access or devices that people use in different ways, whether they're using a switch to access it or eye gaze to access it. So it really can open the worlds of communication for

all sorts of people.

Rebecca Solomon (03:32)
So unbelievable, and it probably sounds so foreign to someone who's never heard of it. Sarah and John, you use this. You use this for your daughter. Share a little bit about your daughter, Autumn, and what communication looked like for her before AAC.

Sarah FitzSimmons (03:48)
Sure. So Autumn has always had really strong receptive language. she, you can tell that she knows what you're saying to her, ⁓ but she's just struggled to be able to communicate back to us. So for a long time, it's been a lot of like noises, pointing, gesturing, ⁓ kind of screaming when she's displeased with something, but.

kind of pointing at things and trying to guess what she wants and guess what she's upset about, which is obviously very frustrating for her because she clearly knew what she wanted and we did not know what she wanted. So it's definitely, it was a bumpy road for communication for her. ⁓ But I think adding in this AAC now has been ⁓ really awesome to kind of like watch that unfold in front of us.

Rebecca Solomon (04:38)
not only helping her out to communicate, but helping you guys out as her parents, understanding what she's saying. That's one of the biggest frustrations in so many young families. now, and you're able to now have that as a resource to understand what your child is trying to tell you.

John Fitzsimmons (04:54)
It was particularly difficult because for some children, sign language is a good option

for communication. Autumn has pretty limited movement with most of her limbs. Her left arm is about her only option for communicating with us. So we're at home, we're trying to figure out signs that we can teach her.

tell us what she needs, but at the same time, it's just, generally difficult for her to learn enough to communicate exactly what she needed with us. And then, you know, it's a speech, speech program progressed and the AAC came around. Like Sarah, Sarah can tell you that there's been a lot of progress just generally for her.

Rebecca Solomon (05:35)
What would you say are some of those biggest challenges or misconceptions you encountered early on when exploring AAC?

Sarah FitzSimmons (05:42)
mean, I would say I even had some initially,

You know, I think there's the fear, the hesitation that the work towards like verbal communication would stop.

Obviously that's not the case. ⁓ It just only helps to facilitate her further with being able to work towards that verbal, even since AAC has been more incorporated for her. I have noticed like some new sounds starting to emerge while she's trying to like verbally communicate as well. ⁓ Things are getting like kind of closer to word sounding. ⁓ Whereas like previously ⁓ there wasn't as much of that. And so I think that has helped to further that.

versus like hinder that which I think is I would have to guess is a common misconception because it's definitely one that I had that I was concerned about for her.

Marnina Allis (06:32)
Yeah, that's probably the biggest one we hear as parents say all the time, but I want my child to talk. But as you mentioned, all studies show that one mode of communication facilitates other modes of communication and having a AAC device can only offer a consistent spoken model for them at all times. So there really are no disadvantages to using it, but that for sure is one of the biggest myths that we often have to dispel with families.

Rebecca Solomon (07:00)
Anything else, Marnina, that you wish more people understood about AAC?

Marnina Allis (07:05)
Yeah, there's often the thought that there are prerequisite skills to using AAC and all research has really shown the opposite. That learning AAC is like learning any other language and children learn language by having it modeled to them. We assume all children are going to speak verbally and we speak to them and many of them learn to speak that way by having it modeled and the same goes for AAC. That the earlier access they have to a device

and the more they see it being used, the more they're gonna learn to use it, that they're gonna learn the language the same way any child uses language. And we often hear, but they can't do X, Y, and Z, they can't match pictures, can't, you know, their cognitive skills are limited, but one really has nothing to do with the other. And we presume competence and assume that all children can and will learn language and everybody has something to say. And we're starting as young as we can with what we call robust.

high-tech communication, things that will really offer children lots of options of what to say. We don't want to pigeonhole a child into only having a board that has three or four pictures. You don't see adults out there using a few pictures to communicate functionally. That doesn't work. So ⁓ the sooner and the earlier we can start with it, the better. And that's what we're trying to really spread the word out there as much as possible.

Rebecca Solomon (08:24)
And Sarah and John, would you say that, you know, like how did you know that Blythedale was where you would want to go for her to get these resources? then furthermore, was there that moment when she was here at Blythedale with Marnina, with the team working with AAC when it started to click for Autumn?

Sarah FitzSimmons (08:47)
so Autumn started out receiving early intervention services, which were phenomenal. But it was very kind of like piecemeal. So there would be like appointments here and then this person wasn't always talking to this person. And it just felt a little like scattered. And so John actually came across Blythedale.

So we set up an evaluation for her and she started getting all of her services like in one location, which I think was the biggest game changer and being able to have folks that were able to collaborate with each other. know, PTs were working with OTs and know, Speech was working with like ⁓ OT and cause she's very verbal when she walks. so Speech was working with PT. so like that being able to like weave everyone in together into like a true like care support team, I think was like, like such a

huge game changer for her. And she loves going to school. ⁓ She is upset when there's like spring break or winter break. Like she loves going to school. And I think being able to see, especially her being so young when she started, like to see, you know, your child be so happy to go somewhere that you're like, ⁓ like she's not home now though. It's just like so validating that it's the right place for her. ⁓ And like I know folks

folks

have mentioned this to a lot, like Autumn is a very like personable person. And so she has this really engaging and endearing smile ⁓ that just like draws people in. And so we'll walk in the building for like a parent training and everyone's like, Hey, Autumn, hi, Autumn. So just to know that she's so embraced there, I think has also helped us to see that this is like the best place for her to be.

Rebecca Solomon (10:32)
And you really should feel that way because she is quite a ray of sunshine. And yes, everyone knows who she is, but even more important, she's comfortable and she's happy there and she's thriving. And so that is great.

going back to AAC, when did it start to click for Autumn, right? And what did that feel like for your family?

John Fitzsimmons (10:53)
I think fairly recently, she's really gotten pretty adept at it. ⁓ Just the other night we had a really funny experience and it just showed how much like she's really picking up on it. It was getting close to bedtime. ⁓ We had to turn the TV off and Autumn has her AAC with her. I think we were watching Sesame Street, right? And I think

we go to turn off and Autumn hits Elmo TV watch, Elmo TV watch, watch TV show. She was telling us, you know, she did not want Sesame Street to go away. And that's one of her favorite things in the world. having that stimulus there that was like, this is, I really want this. And that motivation to have her use the device that really, I think that was really assigned to us that it's really starting to click with her.

Sarah FitzSimmons (11:46)
there's been some nights where, like I'll offer her if she wants to use her talker, and sometimes she doesn't and sometimes she does. And there was one night where she has a twin brother and so, and he is verbal and she was sitting next to him and she was, I don't even remember exactly what she was pushing on her talker, but whatever it was, was like making him like laugh hysterically. And so they were able to kind of have this like very sibling

kind of bonding moment where she knew she was making him laugh. And she like loved the fact that she was making him laugh and he was just, ⁓ I don't exactly remember what she was pressing, but he thought it was hysterical. so seeing those like moments where there's that increased ability for them to communicate, cause they are so bonded ⁓ as twins, but that communication is obviously difficult for them. ⁓ So to see like those pockets of like sunshine kind of coming through with that communication is really awesome too.

Rebecca Solomon (12:42)
Yeah, it's what every sibling should have, right? Those moments of silliness and just realness. I guess that kind of answers part of my next question of how AAC changed your day-to-day life at home emotionally and practically. I the fact that Autumn and her sibling can just egg each other on and through the actual device, with the actual device, I guess, that's really special.

Sarah FitzSimmons (13:05)
The only other thing I'll mention, don't know if John, you have anything you want to share too, but with like the sibling thing as well. So her twin is able to walk and he can speak verbally. And so a lot of times like he's observing her getting kind of some more like, you know, support to take care of the things that he may be able to take care of independently. And so what was really awesome was there was, you know, he's obviously very curious about her talker because they're the same age and ⁓

she actually was like showing him how to use her talker. So it was kind of this like nice, like essentially like role reversal where it was something that was hers that she was able to to show him. And so I could tell what she was trying to do. So I helped like facilitate with like her like holding his hand and like pointing to something that like he wanted to say. ⁓ So I felt like that was really empowering for her to be able to teach ⁓ him something.

Rebecca Solomon (14:02)
That's great. And how long has she been using AAC? I can't remember if you mentioned that yet.

Sarah FitzSimmons (14:07)
So she had started

with like a binder. And I want to say she's had the binder for maybe about a year and then transitioned to the talker within the past few months.

Rebecca Solomon (14:20)
Okay, so that's relatively new. That's awesome.

Sarah FitzSimmons (14:23)
Mm-hmm.

Rebecca Solomon (14:26)
what role does family involvement play in a successful AAC implementation?

Marnina Allis (14:32)
It's huge. mean, we therapists and teachers are with the kids for a few half hours a week, but the families are with them 24-7 minus the time they're in school, obviously. And the more they're using it at home, the more interaction there's going to be, the more learning that's going to happen. So it's huge. Also, it's probably much more motivating for Autumn to learn from her brother using it, to learn from you guys using it.

⁓ That's a very motivating thing for children to learn from peers, to learn from family, to learn from siblings. ⁓ And children feel the most comfortable at home. We hear all the time that things might not happen in therapy, but they're happening at home. And that's what's important to us. They don't need to do it for us. I'd rather hear that it's happening at home with family members, because that's where you're going to see the carryover and the generalization. Doing it in therapy is one thing, but doing it at home, in the community, in school.

in a doctor's office is a much bigger deal than doing it in

why we're trying to really get kids hands on the high tech devices sooner because they started with the low tech because of her motor skills and figuring out where to go was a challenge. What size device, what app, what size icons. And it took a lot of work.

the OT, the PT, we all work together and figuring out what work took time. But once you think you have the right answer, better to just start with it sooner. We're always making tweaks and changes as we go, but having the access to it all the time is what's gonna make a huge difference.

Rebecca Solomon (16:11)
And I'm sure for you, Sarah and John, there's things that, you know, she picks up on or learns through therapy and at school that, yes, Marnina, to your point, she's most comfortable at home and trying things out, but I'm sure some of that confidence comes from what she's learning with your team at Blythedale. And you probably, Sarah and John, noticed some new things at home. like, my gosh, she didn't do this yesterday or she didn't do this last week.

Sarah FitzSimmons (16:38)
Yeah, absolutely. And to kind of second that point, she had just started with the talker.

maybe like ⁓ she was like a month or so in six weeks ballpark when it was finally coming like home too and it wasn't just at school and it was their birthday and ⁓ she had gotten a gift of like twin baby dolls ⁓ from someone and we had given her her talker and she point to touch the word baby ⁓ and then like john was with her and john can probably describe better but then she pointed like and told him to go up to like the next page and then found the word

like doll, ⁓ but like just even seeing her have the ability to communicate to him and like also show him like this is what I'm looking for. I want to talk about these baby dolls. ⁓ It's such like a typical four-year-old experience, but to be able to do it in her own way I thought was just amazing.

Rebecca Solomon (17:35)
It really is such an important skill, such a unique skill to

John Fitzsimmons (17:41)
she is learning the AAC and it's really great. But she's also just learning a lot in general. She's much more aware of her life, of her world. ⁓ And she's much more willing to communicate her wants and her needs. And she's getting more articulate at that.

in addition to, you know, the motor issues, she has vision issues. ⁓ So we're not always so sure that she can see the AAC, but she's proven us that, I can can see this and I can talk to you guys. But also like her language overall seems to be developing and she's like Sarah was saying before, she's making more, you know, sounds that sound like words. think I hear words coming from her and she's more confident.

doing that with us, even as like a four year old, it's hard to tell like, you know, they're just playing around. No, she she feels good about what she's doing. And she's she's happy to be able to

Rebecca Solomon (18:38)
Now, I guess this next question, I'd love to hear from both the therapy side with you, Marnina, but also I'd love to hear from the parent side. For families who may feel overwhelmed or intimidated by AAC, what would you recommend, whether it's those first steps or just in general, what would you tell a family who wants to know more about this, they're listening to this podcast and maybe they're just starting their journey with AAC or

What would you tell them?

Marnina Allis (19:10)
I would tell them to be patient and be kind to themselves. Learning AAC is like learning any language and it's technology, which technology can be intimidating, overwhelming, glitchy. It always has its moments when you don't want it to. ⁓ But I always say, just take your time. The more you play with it, the more comfortable you're gonna become. A lot of the softwares have free downloads on a computer, so.

There are other ways that we can help expose families. I always say don't expect to start using it all day, every day. That's crazy with a brand new system. Pick half an hour a day, a time where you're spending time as a family. Maybe you are eating dinner, maybe you are reading a book, maybe it's a part of a routine when kids come home from school. But pick a defined amount of time and try just starting using it then.

And then gradually, as comfort grows, everybody will feel more comfortable using it throughout more of the day. But nobody should ever expect that right away it becomes an, have to use it all the time. We don't even expect the children to, and those of us who feel comfortable with it, it's always easier to use your verbal language. That's always going to be their go-to. A verbalization, a word approximation, a sign. And when they're tired, that's what we're going to expect. So never feel like...

it has to become something to use all the time. The more it's used, the more it's out, the more it's accessible, the more organically things will happen and move forward. ⁓ There's no, you can't do wrong. I feel like people are always like, I was afraid to use it. I was going to make a mistake. There's no wrong thing. When I'm using it to model, I often find the wrong thing. And I say, that's not what I meant to say. Let me find the word I was looking for. And there's nothing wrong with that. ⁓

for families, for teachers, for other therapists, have it out. If it's not out, it can't be used. the thing I always want to say is just have it around. Just take it out of the bag, take it out of, make sure it's charged. Just have it there and let it be used by anybody whenever. And like they said, the more it's there, the more it's used, the more it's going to happen. ⁓ I feel like a lot of therapists and teachers are intimidated, which

is normal. But again, just being willing to use it to other therapists, there's no wrong app. It's more the wrong implementation strategies. So whatever app you have, whatever app the child was given, just work on implementing that. It's very rare that a child won't take to learning language. It's just a matter of the teaching and the strategies rather than worrying about was this the right thing? Was this the wrong thing? Which I feel like we all get caught up in some times. It was like, wait, is this going to be the right app?

Is this not going to be the right app? And at the end of the day, we picked an app, we made it work, we made modifications, and we're going to teach it. And maybe we're going to realize down the road it wasn't the perfect thing, but with the right implementation, we see she's learning it. So at the end of the day, you just got to go with your gut and try it and work with it.

John Fitzsimmons (22:23)
recommendation is we kind of came into this a little blind week. We kind of knew the technology existed, but we didn't know what it was going to look like for

So we kind of trusted the process. We trusted her

and we kind of rolled with it. And for me, one of the helpful things has been to actually kind of sit with the device to get myself familiar so that I can sit there with her.

Sarah FitzSimmons (22:45)
there are times when I'll like offer it to her. like, hey, do you have anything you want to say? And then she'll like...

push it away. And then there are times when like I have learned to just like place it next to her and not really say anything and just turn it on. And then all of sudden she's talking. So it is a little bit of like trial and error. Every kid's different.

But I, know, and obviously when she would push it away, it's just kind of like, okay, you know, and then like moving on just to make it so it's still something enjoyable for her to do to communicate. Because obviously not every moment everyone wants to talk. ⁓ So I have found that just like turning it on and leaving it near her ⁓ is much more successful.

Rebecca Solomon (23:30)
And know, if I may add this kind of analogy that I'm thinking of as you guys are talking about this, and you probably can relate with your verbal son, ⁓ even verbal children don't want to talk sometimes. So like, it's okay, right? Or adults or any, right? Or it's almost like that is her way of just being a kid and being a toddler and not wanting to talk sometimes, or maybe she does. ⁓

And that's okay too,

Marnina Allis (24:00)
I was going to say if you have a complex body and you've had a long day in school and maybe your vision is harder at certain times during the day or more fatigued at the end of the day, it's only normal that you're going to be like, I worked hard today. I need some time. Like give me a few minutes and maybe she needs that time to regroup. Anybody needs that time to regroup. And then an hour later, it's like, okay, I had that time to, you know, rest and

reinvigorate my body and now let's chat or maybe not. Maybe I'm just too tired and I'm not feeling it right now.

Rebecca Solomon (24:34)
Maybe she just wants Elmo on Sesame Street. Right? That's it. ⁓ What else would you say when it comes to AAC and how it's impacted your relationship with Autumn and her ability to express herself? have so many good images of you all communicating with AAC just through what you've shared already. Anything else, anything specific that you want to share?

John Fitzsimmons (25:00)
I love the access it gives her to her world. You know, her communication is still simple, but even just the progress that she's made in telling us how we can help her meet her needs and what she wants to do, ⁓ what she wants to play with, what she wants to watch. I think that's been huge for her, for us, for her brother, especially when she says silly things over and over again on her AAC.

Marnina Allis (25:24)
I was going to say from working with Autumn and children in general, that's when they start using the AAC is when you really start to see their personalities, ⁓ what's really funny, what's not funny, their sense of humor, the things that they really enjoy. mean, a lot of times before a child has either verbal language or augmentative communication, we're doing a lot of guessing and assuming based on their gestures.

and their facial expression and their pointing. ⁓ But once you give them that method of communication, you'll often really start to see the nuances of their personality and of their likes and their dislikes. And that, as a therapist, that's the most fun when you realize what makes them laugh, what they think is funny, ⁓ how they interact with their classmates and their teachers.

their families and with us, it's just that extra level of rewarding, reward for us as therapists and I'm sure for families as well. There's nothing more rewarding than seeing that interaction happen for the first time. or then getting to know them and see it mature and develop and progress in a more complex way.

Rebecca Solomon (26:40)
And what would you say has been one of the most joyful or unexpected moments since introducing AAC into your lives?

Sarah FitzSimmons (26:47)
just watching her pride for herself come through when she's able to communicate something that she wants to on the AAC or even when it was just the simple making her brother laugh.

there's just like an energy that comes off of her where she can, you can tell she's like proud of herself and that like, that feeling of like, wow, I'm finally being heard. ⁓ It just kind of radiates off of her in those moments. And so they're very just like captivating. And, and, know, we obviously like acknowledge like, ⁓ you know, this is what you're asking for. And just to see that. ⁓

response on her like visibly of like, yeah, like they're hearing me. Like, I don't think anything beats that.

Rebecca Solomon (27:33)
Great, it's building her confidence.

And looking at the bigger picture,  how can schools, communities, society, neighborhoods, how can we better support people who use AAC?

Marnina Allis (27:46)
being a communication partner for somebody with AAC, we have to remember that it's not as fast as spoken language. And we need to be patient and we need to wait and let them get their thought out. Our impulse is always to finish their sentence, but we all have to practice that wait time. Just wait and give them time. You can't be in a rush. It's not fast. It's definitely slower than verbal language, but

give them that time to express themselves. Let them say what they want to say and don't go guessing, don't be finishing their sentences. Give them the time they need. I think everybody needs to be more willing to use it and interact with those using it. I mean, the more it's out there in the community, the more it's being used throughout the day in a school, the more other children are exposed to it, the more familiar it becomes for everybody and it just becomes

another tool in the toolbox. all have phones and tablets and ⁓ pens and pencils. This shouldn't be any different. It's another tool to have in your bag and accessible when you need it. And if you don't need it that minute, that's great. But it's another way for somebody to communicate. ⁓ I once saw something at a convention that said that the average 18 month old

has been exposed to 4,380 hours of oral language, and we don't expect them to be fluent speakers at 18 months. But if an AAC learner only sees words modeled for them 20 to 30 minutes, two to three times a week, which is your average speech therapy sessions, it would take 84 years for them to have the same exposure as an 18 month old. And that's, when you think about it, a staggering statistic, which is why the more everybody out there is using it with them,

the more success and the better it will be.

Sarah FitzSimmons (29:42)
I think just also acknowledging that like kids and adults that are using AAC have something to say. ⁓ I think sometimes when folks aren't verbal, there is this perception that... ⁓

they aren't understanding what's going on or that they don't have something to say. And we have always known that Autumn has always had something to say. Like she makes that very clear. In her own way, shape, and form she does. And so I think for us, it's just making sure that when you engage with someone that is using a talker or something, some type of AAC.

to still try to communicate with them in the same way that you would with anyone that's not using a talker to give them an opportunity to have that engagement as well.

John Fitzsimmons (30:29)
be patient. ⁓ Assume that they understand what you're saying and  give them an opportunity to speak. ⁓ Because like Sarah and Marnina have said, they They have something to say and they have personalities to show.

Rebecca Solomon (30:44)
Absolutely, and patience is so important. That really is a great way of putting it.

Marnina Allis (30:51)
I think patience in general because I think besides the fact that getting a message out takes longer, teaching and learning AAC is a slower process. So people need patients both on the day to day that in a simple communication exchange is going to take longer, but also in the language learning, it's going to take longer. It's a slower process, but it doesn't mean it's not happening. It just means it needs a little extra time and be willing to devote the time on a short term and on a long term

basis.

Rebecca Solomon (31:21)
And Sarah and John, we know you're not only benefiting from Blythedale services, but you're also huge supporters of our hospital. And we are so thankful for all that you've done outside of the hospital halls. Team Autumn just knocked it out of the park, raising funds at our annual BAC 5K Walk Run. Why is it so important for you to continue backing Blythedale?

Sarah FitzSimmons (31:43)
Autumn's history has been so challenging, ⁓ to say it lightly. And so to finally feel like we're at a place with her,

where she's getting the support that she

And not only is she getting the support that she needs, she's like so loved and welcomed there. And so I think for us, it's just important to show that care and love right back because they're giving it to our daughter every day. And so to be in such, you know, scary territory with her for honestly, you know, the first couple of years of her life.

to now feel like we're in this awesome groove where she's getting the help that she needs, she's thriving there, and we're seeing that at home too. We just couldn't be more grateful.

John Fitzsimmons (32:24)
Sarah captured it perfectly. Autumn has found ⁓ an amazing place at Blythedale She's so loved

and she's doing so well there. ⁓ It's, Blythedale is important to our entire family. ⁓ And it's important that we return that love to you guys.

Rebecca Solomon (32:42)
Well, we feel it, so thank you so much. All right, I do have one more question, and I'd like to ask each of you this question. How would you describe the meaning of hope? Marnina you want to take this one first?

Marnina Allis (32:58)
Sure. ⁓ Hope is holding on to the belief specifically in terms of our conversation today that everybody can and will communicate and teaching it and helping families figure it out and working together as a team to get to the end result which is what we want everybody to be a communicator in one way or another.

Sarah FitzSimmons (33:22)
I would say hope is being able to hold on to the fact that, know, something is possible ⁓ and giving access to.

the resources to see that happen. Like with Autumn, we knew that she had something to say, lots of things to say. And so I think for us, hope is, you know, holding out that space ⁓ to like allow that to flourish and to grow with like the proper, supportive place.

John Fitzsimmons (33:56)
for us has been Autumn's future has been an unknown. I think that's a big thing for lot of disabled families or families with people with disabilities. ⁓ But the work with the AAC, the work at Blythedale it gives me hope for Autumn's future. ⁓

I definitely feel better ⁓ seeing her do well and growing and thriving at Blythedale

Rebecca Solomon (34:27)
Thank you. And it really should give you hope because can you imagine with what she's been doing in the last few months, what that's going to translate into for the next few months. And yeah, we've got her back. We've got your back. And ⁓ Marnina's working her magic on her end. with her team and in a way, it is exciting to see how she will continue to thrive at Blythedale with the help of all of those resources such as AAC.

Thank you guys so much for being a part of this episode. I appreciate it. We hope you have enjoyed listening to Journeys of Hope. Of course, if you have ideas for future topics, we would love to hear from you. You can go ahead and email us at podcast at blythedale.org And don't forget to subscribe to our podcast and like and follow us on social media. Thank you so much and we will see you next time.