text: i have an adult brother who is mute, and is fascinated by computers. he is retarded, and has cerebral palsy.? he has an assistive device that allows him to press certain buttons to have the device play recorded questions and comments.   he hates it, because it rarely allows him to communicate his thoughts and needs beyond, "i'm hungry," or other basic statements.  i have read the information on computers with touch screens, and some of the software, and found that helpful. we have access to teachers, and special education software for children to learn basic reading and math skills, but he has not shown any interest in those, because they do not allow him to communicate.  his present method of communication is self-learned. if he sees an ad on tv, he searches magazines for the same product ad, and presents the ad and his notebook and pen to someone who can write. once the product is listed to his satisfaction, he waits until one of us can take him to purchase the item.   still, this is not conversation, and we would like to know if anyone else has a solution. try the pecs program which is a communication progam ( you can i am sure make it your self. it has pics the can turn into sentences example  cookies ( there is a pic for it )  later a pic of i ( him)  want would be next   i want a cookie   i am sure there is a search for it  good luck