Howard C. Shane

How can you help children with moderate to severe autism become more effective communicators? Discover the Visual Immersion System (VIS), a practical, research-based intervention framework that taps into the strong visual processing skills many children on the spectrum have. You’ll learn how to use readily available resources – from photos and symbols to apps and software – to create a customised system of visual supports that boost seven key communicative functions. For each of the functions, you’ll get comprehensive how-to guidance on choosing tools and materials, conducting systematics instruction, collecting data, and assessing how well interventions are working. A must for SLPs, interventionists, and educators, the innovative VIS approach will ensure better communication and higher quality of life for children with autism. Why The VIS WorksUses visual supports, an approach that’s proven successful for children with autismStrengthens communication skills needed for learning and meaningful human interactionBuilds on evidence-based assessment and intervention procedures developed over decades at Boston Children’s HospitalIncorporates a wide range of low-tech and higher-tech optionsFlexible – can be used in home, school, or community settingsprovides clear, easy-to-use instructions on conducting interventionsIncludes guidance on generalising new communication skills

The year is 1969, and fresh-out-of-college smart-aleck Howard Shane has just landed his first teaching job—at Belchertown State School, a bleak institution where people with disabilities endure endless days of silence, tedium, and neglect. Howard is stunned by the conditions at Belchertown and the challenges of his new job, but as he gets to know his diverse, endearing, and intelligent students, he becomes consumed with a mission: to unlock their communication skills and help them reach their full potential. Pitting his youthful idealism and passion against the rigidity of a rule-bound administrator, Howard battles his way to small joys and victories with his students—and, along the way, learns just as much as he teaches. A stirring and spellbinding memoir from internationally renowned AAC expert Howard Shane (Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School), Unsilenced is a candid look at a pivotal era in disability history and a deeply personal account of how all human beings can flourish when we care for each other and fight for change.