It's
October. A lot of things happen in October. It's National Disability
Employment Month, AAC Awareness Month, and Halloween on the 31st,
which inevitably results in people caricaturing mentally ill people
for costumes (please
don't).
I'm
talking about AAC (Alternative and Augmentative Communication) a bit.
I'm not even going into details of a lot of things, just my personal
experience. Or lack of experience. AAC was never presented as an
option for me.
I
talked in pretty much my own language until I was three or four. When
we got our first computer, I transcribed rich stories and diaries of
my experience, typing better than talking. But I didn't have an
autism diagnosis yet. And kids who use vocal speech don't need AAC
anyway, right?
Wrong.
I may not have full apraxia of speech, but there are times when I
just need to type. When
my words are coming out wrong and I can't get anything to sound
right. Or when I'm having a shutdown or meltdown. Which
happens. AAC users should not be questioned on their need for AAC.
Yet
I have not even transitioned to being a part-time AAC user. People
would just think I'm
too “articulate.”
I
need it.
I
don't have it.
I
could have used it a long time ago.
So:
an affirmation to myself: I deserve it.
---
Tell
me about your AAC experiences?
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