Happy National Speech-Language-Hearing Month! | Explore Support & Services for SLPs
Happy National Speech-Language-Hearing Month! | Explore Support & Services for SLPs
Welcome back to ableFamilies in Real Life, where we celebrate the everyday communication wins of families across the country. This month, meet Rebecca and her sons Miles, who is ten, and Jameson, who is eight, from Maryland. Two years into their QuickTalker Freestyle journey, this family starts the day with a motto they say out loud: “It’s a great day for a GREAT DAY!”
Miles and Jameson are the two youngest of Rebecca’s three sons, and both are QuickTalker Freestyle users. Miles is ten and nonverbal, and his device is his primary voice. Jameson is eight and verbal with echolalia, and his device helps him stretch his language, build independence, and say more of what he means. Their big brother Jabari is eighteen, a certified lifeguard and pool operator who is preparing to join the military in 2027. Rebecca and her husband are both retired U.S. Navy veterans, married sixteen years, and they homeschool Miles and Jameson around daily ABA therapy and speech therapy three times a week. When the family is not in school or therapy, they are traveling, exploring theme parks, heading outdoors, or settling in for family movie and game night.
Communication in the Thomas home is a team effort. Mom, Dad, and big brother Jabari all use AAC to support Miles and Jameson, which makes it a natural part of the day rather than something that only comes out for practice. The devices are part of homeschooling, meals, play, and ordinary conversation, and the goal Rebecca describes is a home where communication is accessible, encouraged, and celebrated, meeting each child exactly where he is.
Flexibility matters as much as consistency. After a full day of therapy, Rebecca gives Miles the chance to take a break from his device while still encouraging him to use it for the things that matter most to him, like requesting food or a favorite activity. Jameson keeps his device close through homeschooling and the rest of the day, so there is always an opening for language, curiosity, and a thought of his own.
The family has also built routines around what comes next. They pair schedule sticks and velcro picture symbols with the QuickTalker Freestyle to show what is happening next, and they lean on the device to teach the “First / Then” concept. For homeschool, Rebecca plugs each subject into the QuickTalker Freestyle and mirrors the lesson on it, which the boys love. The device comes out in the community too, including when the family orders from their favorite restaurants.
One of their earliest wins was how easy the QuickTalker Freestyle is to look at and move through. The color-coded layout made finding words more intuitive for both boys, and Rebecca has kept building on it, adding folders and personalized buttons as their interests and language grow. Watching their vocabulary expand right along with the device, she says, has been one of the most exciting parts of the whole journey.
Thursdays are for ASL. Rebecca created a folder on the QuickTalker Freestyle to match a Signing Time video, inputting all nine words from the song. After the song came review: she signed each word, and the boys had to find it in their vocabulary.
“This was one of the best classes we have ever had,” she says. “The participation, desire, and focus was amazing!” More recently, Jameson has been working through a fireworks folder and shouting out every color he finds. Watching his language expand one firework at a time is exactly the kind of moment this family plays for. Ask the boys themselves and they will tell you what is on their minds: “I want tablet please,” from Miles, and from Jameson, “I like chocolate. Yes I do.”
Rebecca’s advice for families just getting started is to make the device theirs. Take pictures and customize as much as you can, load in every preferred item, the favorite foods, the toys, the places they love to go, and then let your child play with it. Turn it into a game and see who can find an item first. “The more exposure to the AAC the better!”
She also points families toward each other. Rebecca has used another AAC platform that focused mostly on virtual trainings for parents, and what she values now is an emphasis on parents and community, so her recommendation is simple: use the parent support groups. For the Thomas family, the QuickTalker Freestyle has been life-changing, because it means understanding what Miles wants and needs. He can tell them his pain level when he has a migraine, he can tell them his mood, and he can tell them what he knows.
Stay tuned for more real-life stories from ableFamilies across the country. Want to share your family’s journey or have a question? Our Parent Enthusiasts are here for you. You can also explore additional resources, guidance, and community connections on our SupportHub.