GONZALES — A learning center in Ascension Parish is helping families of non-speaking children find ways to communicate with their loved ones through technology.

Vibe Learning Center uses an augmentative and alternative communication device, known as an AAC, to help non-speaking autistic people express their thoughts one letter at a time.

Yvette Bilello's daughter Sophia is 16 years old and does not speak. She began her journey with Vibe in 2023 and has made significant progress since then.

"Before this, we knew her intuitively, but she could never speak to us, so we weren't able to gauge how smart she was or what she wanted," Bilello said.

Bilello said she was uncertain the approach would work at first.

"I was very skeptical at first, didn't know if this is gonna work, and I thought if it works great, if it doesn't... we haven't had anything taken from us," she said.

Founder Amanda McDaniels says many non-speaking autistic people also have apraxia, making speech and movement difficult. The AAC allows them to communicate one letter at a time using letterboards that look like a keyboard to build words, sentences and ultimately conversations.

Adam Daigle is a speller advocate at Vibe Learning Center. 

“At Vibe, we give a voice to the voiceless and hope to the hopeless,” he said. 

The facility offers academic tutoring for children with ADHD, dyslexia and other learning differences.