At what age can you begin using RPM with a child?

Soma®RPM is an educational process that can continue throughout one's life. Unlike some autism programs, Soma®RPM can begin at any stage of life and continue regardless of chronological age.  According to Soma in her book, Understanding Autism through Rapid Prompting Method, this form of teaching is, “tailored to each student's open learning channels. It empowers the learner with the best possible means to express his or her thoughts, understanding, learning and reasoning.”

The assumption is all students can learn regardless of their disability. Soma writes,

            “teaching a student with autism about history or current events leads to a greater understanding of what he or she hears and others conversations or on the

            television and  radio. This results in a greater understanding of the course of

            human events, which makes the world more interesting place in the individual

            a more well-rounded, interesting person. I maintained a greater understanding

            also leads to a diminishment of excitable behaviors, because the frustration of

            being understood estimated and misunderstood is reduced.”

When I first began working with my adolescent male student having autism, his academic work showed him working at third-grade level. After working with him using the Soma® RPM method, he's now working from eight grade texts. I'm curious to see how he responds when I began presenting him with high school level work.  For those of you using RPM, how has it worked for you?  How is your life different? I look forward to hearing from you.