Communication (is More Important than Speech)

by Dora Raymaker

category: Communication

Published July 11, 2009 @ 11:38AM PT

Great to see an article from Lincon (NB) about the awesomeness of AAC (Alternative and Augmentative Communication). (Not so great is some of the horrific language the reporter used, but that's a topic for a different post.) This article addresses some key topics in AAC-intersect-autism.

--Fears that using AAC will prevent someone from speaking / communicating are unfounded; AAC is intended to facilitate communication and has at times been a bridge to speech.

--Communication is not speech!

--Removing frustration that comes from speech, language, or movement difficulties improves both quality of life and behavior (because 1. one is not frustrated all the time, and 2. one does not need to resort to unpleasant behavior to get the message across).

--Enabling communication, no matter what the form, radically changes how people will percieve an individual (so some care needs to be taken about assumptions).

--Once the idea of speech is let go of, some far more exciting things may emerge,

...[AAC] also allows him to have meaningful exchanges with people. Family pictures have been downloaded to the device. Ask Kyle about his family, and he will pull up pictures of him with his mom, dad and sister. He will show you his home in Henderson. He will show you pictures of things he likes to do.

Through the DynaVox, Kyle's personality has emerged.

"He's more animated," Merrihew said. "He likes to be silly."

"He's really funny," Bailey added.

"Every day we learn something we didn't know he knew," Bailey said. "We're just trying to get it out."

--Even for those of us who have some speech, we may not always be able to use it to communicate; further, some of us may need AAC in order to initiate conversation or "find" words. This is OK, because not only is commuincation not speech but

--Communication is more important than speech!

This are all key points I hit in every presentation I give on AAC, whether it's for educators, support staff, or scientists and policy makers. But what makes the Nebraska story so much cooler than my usual writing is that it doesn't state these points in a general, bulleted list or with the dryness of a formal presentation, but with vibrant personal stories. DynaVox device provides a voice for area boys with autism has made bookmark -and-share-repeatedly status.

(though don't forget, there's more to the success of something like this than just a device)