QUESTION FOR AAC FOLKS❓

Does any ones know an AAC app that's customizable and preferably free or with minimal payments at the moment we are using touchtalk but it has no images and not alot of customization/voices and it would help to have images but we would like custom categories and words!! just not too complicated like some we've used in the past (coughdrop) where it's so confusing :((

thank you in advance <3

Hello, everyone! I'm currently working on a research project around personal development and would love to connect with people who have invested time in self-improvement.

Whether you've taken an online course, read books, or engaged with a coach, your experience could really help me out.

I’m conducting an interview (approx. 40 minutes) to learn more about the challenges and breakthroughs you've faced.

If you're interested in helping out, please comment below or DM me!
Thank you for your time.

went to a trip at niagara falls recently. i was working out till i somehow went ahead and fainted. went to the hospital / er and what not; here back at home i tried to do what i can but its not working. any tips atm? i'm playing sonic rn.

My 9-year-old nonverbal sister is screaming for no reason a lot. She cries out as if she is in pain and then after a few a while, she starts laughing. She also bites her hand until it's bruised and bleeding and I don't know what to do. She was prescribed multiple medications but none of them seem to work and it's stressing out our entire family. Can anyone help?

hello all. I work with a large group of non verbal kids and one thing that can be a bit of a pain is when the kids leave the talker device on the other side of lets say the gym and I have to run to grab it. or another person needs to watch them for a bit with out the device around. I made this quick website test that works a lot like the device but its web based vs downloading an app. it also has some apps to help with some other stuff like games/learn ASL. This is a rough design for now but wanted to see what any one thinks about it before i dive to deep into it. Thanks for any feed back!!!So far it has helped me a lot when running around being able to use my phone vs a large tablet.PS. I wanted to download the app they use but its like 230$ *gasp* so instead i made this for free for myself lol and it works best in full screen mode fyi.

PS. The staff password is "game" for now

EDIT: One other thing to explain is the OCR icon under the game section uses the device camera to take a picture of text like in a book or paperwork then the system translates it to text that then can be spoken

https://puter.com/app/tab-chatter-xa8jn6zhom

Anyone watch the new Netflix documentary Tell Me You Love Me? What are your thoughts?

13f, I have been going nonverbal for years. Sometimes its in a childlike state (calling it childlike even tho im a child because i dont rmb my childhood and I had to grow up VERY fast.) sometimes when im upset, sometimes just because. It fluctuates.

I sometimes say “mhm” but thats because sometimes the people around me almost force me to talk. like they need a verbal reaction.

I also hate repeating myself so so so badly so sometimes this has caused me to not answer important yes/no questions. I just DONT WANT TO TALK. sometimes it gets to the point where when I DO say that “mhm” I get very upset because I just had to say it. It’s disorienting.

Its even harder when I have a mom who thinks its just me “getting in a mood” which yeah, sometimes. But she just doesnt understand that I dont wanna talk.

It happens when I wake up too, not just normal moodiness. waking up is literally disorienting for me 😭 I have depression so its a battle every day in general. I wont talk for hours in the beginning of a day.

Ive gone countless days without speaking anything but “Yeah, mhm. Okay.” sometimes. Which is not non-verbal but it technically is when the people around me always need an answer. I think only my dad understands it.

Does anybody know why this occurs???

I dont know, really. But sometimes I just don't want to talk for long periods of time. I have no idea where this feeling comes from, I'm not diagnosed with anything, but for some reason speaking makes me uncomfortable and I just really don't wanna talk but I have to because I've never been nonverbal. I sometimes switch out speaking with 'mhms' or so, tho i cant just stop. But I just don't want to talk like at all, and this feeling is growing more that I think about it and I just need advice or something I'm confused

Many people experience vicarious distress when imagining other people’s reactions, which can be misleading, and hold them back from taking needed action in those relationships. One example is parenting - where intuitive parents with strong emotional connections to their kids can confuse empathy with over-identification. Empathy can morph into a mutual contagion in which parents catch their children's pain and become a source of retransmission. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/therapy-insider/202212/can-a-parent-have-too-much-empathy. Learn how to recognize the difference between healthy empathy and too much, so you can be more in control of your own emotions and more effective in relationships with your kids and other people.

I'm exploring communication experiences and would love your insights for a PECS app in the works. Your thoughts can help shape something unique.

[Survey Link Here]

Share your thoughts on what works best. It's fast and easy, and your input means a lot!

Join the survey here: [Non-Verbal Individual Survey]

Feel free to share with others. Thanks for being part of this!

Survery

I’m working on an assignment for improving my college’s accessibility for speech impaired students. Answers would be appreciated.

Explainer podcast interview with one of the world’s top theorists of gesture and non-verbal communication. On the power of hand gestures in conveying our thoughts:

https://news.uchicago.edu/what-our-hands-reveal-about-our-thoughts

Hey, I'm feeling overwhelmed with my emotions very often and sometimes can't, or feel uncomfortable speaking temporarily. I don't have autism, but I have other mental health problems (PTSD, BPD, ADHD, Depression), and I considered using these communication cards for others to understand what i need or want, when i dont speak, so I wanted to ask, is it disrespectful to use nonverbal communication cards as a non autistic person?

I have two toddler sisters. One of them talked early and still talks constantly, the other is nonverbal. The issue is my verbal sisters is a jerk, of course she's a toddler and it is expected but, she gets all of my mother and stepdads attention and screams anytime she doesn't get her way. My nonverbal sister is so kind and gentle I just don't get why they overlook her so often, she runs to see me everyday I get home to hug me, eats healthy, rarely gets angry or throws fits and is so intelligent for her age. My family just can't get over the fact she doesn't speak, even though she's learning asl quickly. She has started putting her head down or going to the other room when our family says stuff like "I can't wait till she just speaks already" or "She'll have so much to say when she learns how to use her voice" I can tell that they hurt her feelings when they say this and it breaks my heart. She's also very aware of being different from others and will get embarrassed to do asl in public or when my mom quizzes her ability to sign (asking her to do random signs to make sure she remembers them).

I really am not sure what I am asking

I had learned the real definition of verbal is to communicate with vocabulary. How does one communicate with a person who does not understand,or may never understand words ? Not just language processing, but a complete inability to understand, That you could not ask “ are you hungry ? What would you like to eat?l and show photos of 5 options, and get one.

How could one navigate a world of words ?

Should someone who cannot use language and those words raise children?

Should one pursue romantic and sexual relationships with people who cannot use words, or would it be ableism to not consider such people partners? How would they consent ? It is cruel to deny them such interactions, right ?

Is there anything wrong with not being able to use words and is that something to cure ?

Is this even possible to be born like that ?

I watched a video about how Koko the gorilla “ could not talk “, and read how ableist that is. That parrots do not comprehend what they are saying ,maybe even saying a dog or cat with buttons to talk with use, are not talking to us is ableist ,

comparing any non human animal’s ability to communicate is ableism, all while saying something like “ lizards have their own language we just need to understand it “ is anthropomorphism, and saying “ bee communication doesn’t count” is undermining the capabilities of animals and views humans as vastly superior .or that a world of communication with scent and body language is inferior, and does not count. So it is a slippery slope to ask if there are humans out there with the communication abilities of a snail. Those who will never understand language . And is there anything wrong. Those people need support and understanding and other seen as lesser. How would a person live in a world like ours ?

Then again, what are words but sounds to communicate an idea, right ? And there is nothing wrong about not understanding written words ( could we teach a cat to read?)

Hello! I’ll start with a gist of this so you don’t have to read the whole thing unless it applies to you: I need to chat with someone nonverbal (fully, episodic, selective, situational, etc are all needed) to help me understand how society treats you when you can’t talk to strangers and how school/work accommodates you.

The reason for this is that at my school we have a personal project in which we can choose anything the study and research. For me i chose to do a non verbal social experiment because i have always been fascinated by the idea of not speaking. I had a group of students not talk for five days and journal how people acted. this was great for substitute teachers and people in stores but we didn’t get to see a fully account on how it effects family and friend relationships because our family and friends knew we were just doing it as an experiment. I am hoping to get some input from people who actually have experience. Thank you!

For example, there's the average one with a robot voice but now more realistic-sounding text to speech options exist. Is this something you'd like? Maybe an AI voice customized to fit what you like? Or even a specific character or person?

(throwaway account) I have no idea what people in this community think about this or if anyone else feels this way. I am a sixteen year old autistic person and I speak to people every day, however I don't speak as much as most people and I am not a very social person. As the title says, I hate speaking. With most people, I only speak when I have to and it makes me want to cry. Sometimes, it gets so bad that I think about trying to make myself physically mute or deaf. It's two a.m. and I'm wondering what would happen if I just stopped talking. Would I be considered nonverbal? What could the consequences to my life be? Thank you to anyone who took the time to read my rant and to anyone who can give me any advice.

My son has a student in his class that is non-verbal. Last year he had a device that helped him communicate with other students. My son said he doesn't have it this year because he lost it. My son would like to buy him a new one for Christmas. I can't help but think there must be more to the story than just the student losing it. I looked into it far enough to learn they can be extremely expensive but also that insurance/medicaid will cover them if they are prescribed. Are they only covered once? One every few years? I would assume the choice is very personal so just picking one out to buy would be pretty presumptuous. How far fetched is this idea?

Me and my girlfriend both struggle with verbal communication quite frequently due to our autism so we thought we would give it a go learning sign language to help this but we have no idea where to start.

We were also just wondering if anyone else has tried it and had good experiences

We can't pay for or travel to any courses so it would have to be something different to that. Any help would be amazing

It’s possible to be empowered rather than victimized in relationships with manipulative characters who are not capable of empathy by recognizing predictable patterns and understanding the psychological mechanisms at play.

If we recognize what goes on behind the scenes that makes us held hostage and vulnerable with difficult people, we can safeguard ourselves. Mind Games in Families - How to Keep Your Sanity

Confusion, intimidation, and self-blame set the stage for dominant people to take power.

In mind games where emotional manipulation and distortion of the truth are disowned, and hostility is disguised as caring, it’s easy to buy into the other person’s claims.

Further, the manipulators’ antics are typically unconscious and with conviction, adding to the ambiguity and the appearance of ingenuousness.

Such interactions can lead those on the receiving end to feel guilty and doubt their own perceptions. When this dynamic takes hold, people can become “confused” or swept into the other person’s projections, surrendering or subordinating their own minds, and losing track of who’s doing what to whom.

When we know what is and isn’t happening, and how to interpret internal cues, we can train our minds to course correct and respond from a position of strength rather than survival instincts that are outdated.

​

Hello,

​

Found video where we can see different approach in active listening: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3_dAkDsBQyk

I am looking for similar video with non-verbal communication to show how inportant it is (i will held a training regardin communication)

​

Can You help?

Thanks

Renee Graham’s recent column in the Boston Globe (May, 2023) rightly calls what happened to Jordan Neely, who died after being grabbed in a chokehold by a fellow passenger on a New York City subway car, a “failure of humanity.” Hard to feel otherwise but a less dismal perspective includes the psychological component at play in groupthink and witnessing violence and how that impacts peoples reactions. How People React to Witnessing Violence

Neely grew up victimized by traumaticviolence and, like many trauma survivors, had his life trajectory sequentially and tragically derailed early on. Like his mother (a murder victim), he died in his 30s, completing a cycle of intergenerational transmission of victimization.

The effects of childhood trauma on all aspects of development and future health are well documented. What happened to Neely as a child could have happened to any one of us if we grew up in his traumatic circumstances. Any child enduring the “toxic stress” of prolonged or major adversity, especially at critical sensitive periods of psychological and psychosocial development, is at significant later risk throughout their lives for poor outcomes on every front: physical and mental health, socioeconomic status, substance abuse, and victimization.

Let the record state that the story of his death isn’t about the so-called "mentally ill" — a convenient diversionary reframing, along with other tactics that disguise the truth about what happened and exonerates the perpetrator, as well as allows people to keep a safe distance from this type of horror and heartbreak.