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Sunday, November 9, 2008 Mercy Foundation grant enables Canyonville boy to express himself CANYONVILLE — A board on the wall lists the handful of words 10-year-old Billy Thompson has said during class, as well as the words he’s practicing.Some he’s mastered, such as “red.” But others such as “backpack” he said clearly once, but hasn’t repeated, according to his teacher, Jennifer Cotton. Billy is autistic and doesn’t speak. “He understands everything — he just can’t talk back,” Cotton said last week in the Canyonville Elementary classroom. Billy is one of eight students in Canyonville’s Developmental Learning Center. The center serves children with disabilities that keep them from succeeding in general education classes. Cotton and four teacher’s aides meet the students at their levels and help them progress with academics and life skills, such as walking unassisted, using the bathroom, tying shoes and, in Billy’s case, communicating. Billy’s spoken communication is at a pre-kindergarten level, Cotton said, meaning he points and grunts to get his message across. Cotton and the aides are trying to give Billy a battery of communication tools, such as sign language and electronic gadgets, to work with. For information please contact us at:
Mercy Foundation
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