What is Successful AAC communication?
Real communication is the expression of one’s heart and mind. We communicate to express our needs, desires, thoughts, and humor, to ask questions and learn about the world around us, to engage with others. Real communication occurs when we have the ability to say what we want to say when we want to say it. It is the combination of access to a multitude of words, gestures, facial expressions, and vocalizations. Communication should not be limited by others’ predictions of what we might want to say. The desire to communicate comes from the fact that it makes our lives easier, more enjoyable, and more rewarding. We will be introducing to you several individuals with autism, who are using AAC to communicate and develop their language skills. They are in different stages of learning but all are on their way to becoming independent, spontaneous communicators. • Max’s Story When 9-year-old Max rides around his home town with his mom Theresa, he enjoys helping with directions. “On Salem, off S
