Amelie asks - What is AAC and who actually needs it?
Petra ZehentnerA conversation about communication, understanding and the courage to listen.
The other day. Pool, water, sun. Children playing. Johannes right in the middle of it all—with his water wings, his facial expressions, his sounds, his gestures. I'm there too, as usual. As a mom, as an observer, as a translator. Of course, I play the water monster and chase little kids. And then Amelie, four years old, asks clearly and openly: “Why doesn't Johannes talk?” I swallow briefly. And then I tell them.“You know, Johannes had a cleft palate as a baby, so he needed surgery, and then he didn't learn to speak like other children. But he can still communicate. Just in a different way. He uses his hands, sign language, and points to pictures or symbols on the computer.”Amelie looks. And nods. “Cool,” she says. And that's it. No drama. No pity. No buts. Just acceptance.And I stand there in the pool like a drowned rat, with eleven years of experience as the mother of a nonverbal child, countless conversations with educators, specialists, doctors—and suddenly I realize: Maybe it's not rocket science after all. Maybe AAC is simple. If you let it be.
What is Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is a collective term for all forms of communication used by people who are unable to speak or have limited speech.
AAC can be:
- Sign language accompanied by spoken language (e.g. from Austrian Sign Language (ÖGS) or German Sign Language (DGS))
- Symbol systems like METACOM can be used
- Communication devices (tablets) with speech output or apps
- Communication apps with pictures or symbols
- Simple concepts, body language, facial expressions
Who needs AAC?
AAC is for people who, for various reasons:
- Experience physical difficulties (e.g. cerebral palsy)
- Have autism spectrum disorders or perceptual processing difficulties
- Have genetic conditions (e.g. Down syndrome, Rett syndrome)
- Have neurological conditions (e.g. ALS, MS)
- Have developmental speech disorders
are unable or unreliable to speek. UK is a replacmenet for missing verbal language
It also serves as a bridge for understanding. Here's another thought: In many countries around the world, we are essentially “nonverbal,” meaning we don't speak the local language and need bridges like these. In Italy, for example, it's impossible to communicate without the appropriate gestures – neither in Italian nor in German.
What does that have to do with Amelie?
Amelie did something that many adults find difficult: She asked questions respectfully, let me answer, listened - and then accepted the answer without further questions. That's exactly what good communication partners do: listen, understand, and accept.
Johannes needs help communicating—and Amelie? She did exactly what all good communication partners do: listen, observe, ask questions, and accept.
What I wish for
That we adults dare to ask questions - like Amelie. That we listen more and don't speak what isn't so. That we approach each other respectfully. Because AAC works when we both have the opportunity to express ourselves - and to understand. AAC works when we take the time. The time to understand a movement, a device, the time to listen.
AAC works when we both are willing to engage with another form of communication. Whether with symbols, devices, apps, gestures - the device remains the same: We want to understand each other. And what are we building together? Exactly, here we let ourselves be trained and it works.
And one more tip for everyday life
Simply ask if you're unsure: "How should I best communicate with you?" Every AAC user is an individual. Everyone has their own good way of structuring communication. We can learn from each other. Everyone has their own structure. One can read/write, one needs time and peace, one uses apps, here we know things for three years and it's finally clear.
Petra Zehentner
