Although Audra's body was very impaired physically her mind was not. Up until she turned 3 years old, life with her had been a series of guess's about what she wanted and if you got it wrong it really made her mad and she would yell and scream at you. Having a child who is unable to speak with her voice can be very challenging.

It was Mrs. Peacock at the County OH class who taught Audra to look up for "Yes" and to look down for "No" God Bless Mrs. Peacock, for she opened up Audra's world and helped us to understand her wants and needs so much more.

Life with Audra was no longer just a guess, it was now narrowed down to 20 questions or less and she and I were much happier for it. Other people could talk to her now using yes and no questions, even her little friends and little brother could talk to her now.

She still used her eyegaze to communicate much of her wants, but now I was able to confrim what she wanted so much easily.

Parents often wonder why it is important for thier children with severe physical impairments to learn a consistent "yes" or "no" it can make all the difference in the child showing others they have cognitive ability.

Had Audra not learned a "yes and no" she may never have qulified for the wonderful Augmentative Communication services she would later recieve from Katie Krabbenschmidt and from Stanford Rehab.

Augmentaive communication was a process that took years to evolve and master, but in the end Audra was able to talk to anyone she met using her augmentative communication skills.