alternative communication ideas??

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So my 15 yr old autistic son is mostly non-verbal and i am currently homeschooling him. I am looking for some ways to teach him better communication. I am thinking since verbal seems to be so difficult and since after 10+ years of speech therapy he still isn't using language to communicate that i need to look into different ways. I am thinking i have seen that some people who are non verbal type and or write to communicate. I also know my son has used the PECS in school. My son also seems to have an auditory sensitivity as he will frequently put his fingers in his ears. He is usually playing youtube videos on his nook. I don't currently have an Ipad or Iphone and alot of the apps i have come across are for those devices only.

Anyone have any suggestions??
Thanks!

What have you been using at home thus far? Has the school district given you any PECS materials at all for home use?

Someone recommended this to me. I have problems with making myself understood through speech and am sight impaired; so a lot of other aids are no good to me.

PECS, sign language

I was able to get an iPad through my funding. A behaviour consultant was able to roll it into her fees as a pilot project.

We use pictos and signs.

Does he say anything? I don't know if this would help in the least but this is what I did with my son, he's much younger and more verbal but I figured I'd throw it out there anyway. My son started out only saying letters and numbers, he'd scream them at me like they had deep meaning. So I started putting his toys in different containers that each had a big number on them and put them in sight but out of reach. He learned which toys were in each container so instead of asking for his magnet letters he'd ask for number 5, or 6 for his cars, 1 for play food, ect, ect. I just took what he could say and assigned meaning to it.

How does your son currently communicate his needs?

Questions for you:

How good are his fine motor skills?

How well does he understand speech?

Does he have significant sensory issues?

Does he often do things automatically when they aren't what he wants to do?