In the summer of 2010, April Newton, a local Speech Language Pathologist (SLP) and Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) consultant was asked to provide a trial AAC intervention for Bruce, a 44-year-old man with Autism who had been non-speaking for 35 years and was recently hospitalized. Bruce lacked the ability to communicate with his family and medical staff, prompting his mother to seek an AAC device. An agreement was made for the SLP to work with Bruce for two hours weekly over four weeks.

Within this short period, Bruce made significant progress, learning to answer basic questions about himself and express his needs and preferences during therapy. Remarkably, he gained the ability to order specific meals from a restaurant for lunch and even request a particular teller when cashing his check at the bank. This experience profoundly impacted Bruce’s quality of life and inspired April to become a dedicated community advocate for individuals with special needs, and other families lacking consistent communication methods for their children.

This led to the development of a camp designed to help beginning AAC users learn to initiate communication, make requests, communicate their preferences, and experience the joy of connecting with others. Sponsored by The Arc of the Wabash Valley and In partnership with Indiana State University and the Bayh College of Education, Speech Language Pathology Graduate Clinicians facilitate lessons at camp, while encouraging family members to participate in informational and interactive sessions. Camp activities and sessions are held at the Rowe Center for Communicative Disorders in the Normal and William Grosjean Clinic at Indiana State University, with one day taking place within a community setting.