FALL RIVER, Mass. (WHDH) — A Fall River father is asking for the return of a special tablet that his teenage daughter with autism uses to communicate.

Sacred has autism and is non-verbal. Her adoptive father James Casey was able to get a tablet from the state that allows her to communicate with others.

“It took us almost two years to get this device. We had to jump through all kinds of hoops and fill out all kinds of paperwork and see all kinds of specialists,” said Casey.

The tablet uses pictures to help Sacred form sentences, which it then speaks out loud. Sacred uses it at home and at school.

Casey said he parked his car on the street Monday night and when he got in on Tuesday, he could someone had rummaged through it. His tips from his job as a server were gone, along with Sacred’s backpack that had the tablet inside.

“I understand they may have thought it was a tablet at first but once you turn it on, you’re not allowed to do anything else on it other than use it as a device,” said Casey.

Casey said the tablet has a black case with a shoulder strap attached, along with a speaker on the back. In the meantime, he has set up a GoFundMe page to raise the $5,000 it costs to get a new tablet.

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