To the poster in the previous thread who said you "just can't teach someone with autism" to do something. Yes, you can. It may take a lot of repitition and consistency, but you CAN teach them. We have managed to teach our kiddo to load the dishwasher (I hand the dishes to him, he puts them in, puts the soap in, and closes it up), unload the dishwasher and put the dishes away. He is also learning how to feed our dogs and he helps with the laundry. He cleans his room up and puts his clothes in the dirty pile. He has the same communication software as Abbie does. I have taught him how to ask for food, drinks, he asks for a bath, we are working on personal info such as his phone number and address, we discuss how he is feeling, ask him yes/no questions, use it for school, doctor appointments, he can tell me where he wants to go, etc. ALL of this has taken a huge amount of work. Will he ever be able to do such things completely independent? Who knows. He can at least help. He will never be able to live by himself. We don't even pretend that is even a goal, because it's not feasible. My son has quite a bit more going on than Abbie does with his Tourette syndrome in addition to severe autism/IDD.
Have we ever seen A or P use the communication device along WITH Abbie to explain the order of events of the day, go over behaviors she may have had, ask her yes/no questions, show her where any new icons/topics are on her AAC, or things like colors when she is just sitting by herself doing those table tasks? They could help her count the pieces, learn the shapes, etc. ALL of that is on her software. I know this. We use the same exact thing. Have they ever showed this part of autism and teaching? That is how she would learn so much more language, and that is what would help her communicate more effectively. Is it going to happen over night? No. It takes constant work. These are the things that Summer/Becca whoever else is there can work on besides simply taking her to the park. There is of course a time for that too, but learning and communication can be built in naturally.