12/10/2025
When I tell people my daughter uses an AAC so many respond asking “why not teach her sign language?”
So my question is…. How many of you are fluent in sign language? Besides the simple and basic signs, similar to basic Spanish you’ve learned throughout the years.
Why is teaching her a language that’s not accessible and understood by majority of people a better idea than a high tech AAC app where she pushes a button and it speaks for her?
October is AAC awareness month! Let’s continue to normalize our technological advancements that are so beneficial and important for our disabled children.
We started on Proloquo2go before my daughter’s second birthday. We modeled it as often as possible. Gave her a large grid with robust language. We normalized it around different environments & with as many different communication partners as possible.
It didn’t happen over night. But it happened. She started using the device every single day to communicate her wants and needs. Then she started forming sentences on it.
And then she started speaking more words vocally with her own voice. And I swear it’s because of the AAC device. The way her brain learns and connects, when the device speaks words the same way consistently with no change in tone or dialect, it’s helped her.
She can say all the words, but she still has a language disorder and is not conversational. She rarely replies to questions. She can’t tell you how her day was, what she did, or what she ate yet.
Autism is complex. It’s understandably misunderstood. So I share our journey to give perspective. Because it’s important.
My daughter is 5.5 years old. She is joy, and she is Autistic.
