Mother advocates for son’s communication method at school

A Waterloo mother, Melissa Valant, is advocating for her non-verbal son, Jude, 19, who has severe autism and communicates using the unrecognized Rapid Prompting Method (RPM) at Bluevale Collegiate Institute. The Waterloo Regional District School Board (WRDSB) does not approve RPM, citing concerns about its validity and lack of evidence supporting independent communication. Valant argues that the board’s policies fail to accommodate individual communication needs, emphasizing that each autistic person is unique. Critics, including speech-language pathologist Sari Risen, express concerns that RPM could mislead educators about a student’s true abilities, potentially resulting in inappropriate class placements.