Great for
- Primary school aged children
- MyChoicePad users who lack confidence with initiating interaction with new people
- Preparing MyChoicePad users for new experiences and environments i.e. busy birthday parties
How to use the ChoicePad
You can support your MyChoicePad user by preparing them for what to expect before they attend the party. You can also use the Choicepad to support the user to request or initiate interaction with people at the party, for example they could point to the symbol and/or use the sign for ‘lemonade pop’ to request a drink.
Customise for the person you are supporting
Try adjusting the ChoicePad to reflect the party the user is attending by considering the following:
- Where is the party?
- Who is attending?
- What activities are they likely to have?
- What food/drink is going to be available?
- What signs could support the MyChoicePad user to interact with others at the party?
If possible, take photos of the location, people, activities etc beforehand and add the images into your own MyChoicePad. These can be quickly added to the ‘Birthday party’ ChoicePad or create your own from scratch. This is a great way for the MyChoicePad user to prepare for the event and discuss any worries or anxiety, particularly if they tend to have difficulty with communicating in busy environments.
Laura, mother of Sarah, one of our MyChoicePad users reported that she found this ChoicePad particularly helpful for preparing her daughter for what to expect. She used the symbols and signs alongside spoken language to explain that there would be a lot of other children there, loud music playing and everyone would sing happy birthday to the birthday boy. Sarah was able to point to the symbols and start to use the signs to tell her mother that she was worried about playing with the other children. Laura and Sarah were able to add to the ChoicePad a few key signs to support Sarah to initiate interaction with others at the party including ‘let’s play’ and ‘my name is…’