What a Shame…..
“What a shame that she has to rely on AAC.”
These words were spoken to me by a colleague recently after completing an evaluation for a teenage AAC candidate. The diagnoses filled a long list, but the one this colleague was stuck on was severe stuttering. Surely if an individual was cognitively capable of using a device the other therapist proposed, then she was capable of using fluency modification techniques to be a verbal communicator.
This conversation was like a punch to the gut. Despite all the advocacy and education I’ve provided on behalf of our AAC users, here was an opinion relegating AAC to worst case scenario status.
I propose the opposite side of the coin: This individual had been written off by many as incapable of interacting or achieving goals merely because of a lack of verbal speech. What a shame that in this era of technology no one had put the power of a voice in her hands. An individual who could not string more than two words together verbally teased and argued with me using a communication device. Her entire demeanor changed as the possibilities of a voice were realized. The parting message composed? “I feel happy because I like this.”
Every day, I see children who need assistance to communicate not because of lack of intelligence, but because of a disconnect between brain and mouth. What a shame that there is a prevailing opinion even among professionals in our field that using an SGD is a lesser form of communication.
AAC myths are prevalent regarding actual implementation, but what a shame that I now have to add another to my list.
The education and advocacy will continue. I will never give up on our kids. There are still many more who already have.