Is your family planning on trick-or-treating this Halloween? If so, here are some tips and tricks to make sure your little ghoul or goblin has access to communication:
- If you live in Chicagoland like us, the weather on Halloween can be wet. Use a clear plastic shower cap to keep the speech generating device (SGD) safe and dry.
- An SGD can get heavy after hours of going door-to-door. Make sure the device has a carrying strap (and maybe bring the wagon). It’s okay if an adult needs to carry the device.
- Think light-tech. Some children may find Halloween overstimulating and may have difficulty navigating their robust SGDs. There are a number of wearable SGDs that can be programmed with just a few activity-based messages like, “trick or treat,” “thank you,” and “Happy Halloween.” Here are some options:
Little Step by Step https://www.ablenetinc.com/little-step-by-step/
Wearable Talker https://enablingdevices.com/product/wearable-talker/
GoTalkGo https://www.attainmentcompany.com/technology/gotalks/gotalk-go
- Thinking lighter tech? Make your child’s candy bag a communication display! Use iron-on transfer paper and a canvas bag to make your own. If you’re not feeing crafty, you can upload a communication board to a site like https://www.cafepress.com/ and have them make it for you.
- Other DIY light-tech options including printing our trick-or-treat communication lanyard insert from our free resources page and popping it into a name badge pouch (maybe you’ve got an old one from a past conference) or even a “wrist coach” like the kind used for football. You can put a core board or screen shot of your child’s home page on the flip side!
Do you have other tips for trick or treating? We’d love to hear from you… and we’d love to see photos of how your family communicated this Halloween!