Brain fog autistic speaking dray 2018

Ok yes this is a scattered mess thinking is had right now I’m sorry

t’s autistic speaking day but it’s also the day after Samhain (Halloween ) so my brain is tired and I feel brained, I don’t know much what to say, I tell myself I need to remember to conserve my spoons and write this a week or a month ahead, it’s not like I don’t have plenty of blog ideas that come and go unwritten because I don’t get the spoons to sit down to write them down so they go un written. However once again that didn’t happen this year so this year I’m doing a short half processing spontaneous post, but perhaps that is most appropriate, to honor the day of rest and accept my own need for saving spoons, to not strain to make a perfect logical thought out articulate piece about my right to be as a human, or how being Autistic is , or about the rights to communication access or how autistic people are constantly devalued and talked over and how we are taking this day back to have our voices heard  because at the end of the day no owns value should be based on our ability to explain these things to you in a week though out way or to word and all communication is valid this is autistic speaking day and for today I’m communicating more with gestures than AAC and that’s ok my thoughts aren’t clearly typed and skcattered and still I’m autistic and human and my life aphasia value this way as doe every autistic no mater how we communicate or how much we appear to be aware or understand, our voice in all forms should speak of autistic experience and our live still have value. We shouldn’t need to prove these for you to accept theses

Eye-Gaze AAC for Autistics!

This is a topic I have been passionate about for some time now, though I have posted about it elsewhere, it’s time I make an official post here, I maybe be the first to dis

Ok so aac is kind huge for me, I absolutely love aac and specifically my AAC,  recently I was introduced to An aac device that had something called eye gaze which you can use your eyes to select and speak things! I was almost immediately inlove!

This is typically for people with little to no motor control in their hands and fingers  but to me it opened up a whole new idea world of overcoming some of the brain body disconnect that comes with being autistic, especially on my especially on days where I'm having a really hard time with coordination,  during shutdowns, post meltdowns and post seizures when this tends to be a lot worse, you could also type to speak too or use your eyes that's was the best part! It was either!

I keep thinking  about it and wishing proloquo2go offered eyegaze and how much it could really help other autistics who have more of a brain body disconnect than I do also access aac as well or and this could really help out those who use FC and maybe useful for people using FC to try and be able to have access to addition option with FC for those who use it!

*this is not meant to be a replacement for FC and will not work for all FC users but could provide second communication option for some individuals using FC*

We really do need smaller more portable and more accurate eyegaze based aac systems, and or for dynavox to make a eyegaze passed switch/control like the PCEye go. That is comparable with the iPad and ideally bluetooth connected so we can keep our devices safe in waterproof cases but still utilize the eyetracker, additionally smaller tobbi I-12 type series of dedicated speech devices  that are more portable for autistics would also be ideal

Unfortunately eyegaze isn’t really even ever considered an option or priority for autistics, I suspect this is largely because the brain body disconnect many of us experience, especially those of us who are intermittently verbal to non speaking /part time to full time aac users) experience is often not well known and not much discussed outside the autiatisticcomminuty. It’s not even something most clinictions are much aware of or really understand in my experience so it comes as little surprise to me that  the major manufacturers of eyegaze aac tech would not be marketing to the autistic community, which is a huge loss for us.

Eyegaze isn’t perfect, and it does have its down side of coarse it it is tiring, expensive, hard to get approval for right now and currently most no one knows about its massive benefit and need in the autistic community! The modern AAC tech, while much improved also still needs to be made smaller and more portable S well as more accurate from slightly off angles, but I think it could still believe eyegaze AAC could make a world of difference for many other autistics as well! I think it would be huge if more nonspeaking autistics could have eyegaze as an option!.  Eyegaze needs to be made available to the autistic community.

Happy Autistic Pride Day

Today is autistic pride day, and I really don’t have much I know what to say,  ca months ago I wanted to be sure to have some big post out for this day, but honestly? I’m still struggling to get back into the swing of posting again, and right now there is just so much going on in the world and in life  spoons are really low, so I want to keep it simple,  

Happy autistic pride day, remember to celebrate neurodiversity today, 

Uplift autistic voice,

Center the voices of Autistic PoC today! 

Presume competence 

Everyone has a right to AAC

Communication access rights are basic human rights! 

Embrace stimming

You are not a burned 

Your support needs are valid and matter and you deserve access to supports that’s are helpful and not harmful to you as an autistic person!

There is so much more I want to say, I want to make a long post about autistic culture, I want to talk about the importance of aac but right now none of it is falling into words, this year has gone by so fast I can hardly believe it, 

 I hope everyone has a wonderful autistic pride day! 

You are failing Autistics when you don’t prioritize AAC

this is going to be short to get me into the swing of blogging again,
lately I have noticed a very upsetting pattern parents of autistic, in many cases non speaking autistic children don’t know what AAC is,
This is not ok!

This concerns me greatly!  I suspect more often than not it is because “specialists,” hold off on mentioning it and or introducing it in hopes of pushing for mouth words, all to often we know that specialists will tell families to wait on aac, even though studies have shown aac help build languages and communication skills!

Here is the thing I’m going to lay it out short and sweet,  


AAC need to be the first step!

Communication is a basic human right!

Your first step must be Providing Access to communication

If it's not then you are failing Autistics!


Right after diagnosis a child should immediately start the process of finding communication supports that help them and work for them as well as at least 2back ups! This needs to be the primary goal of any or all autism based services, to provide access to communication, also sensory supports,

I really can’t stress enough how critical aac services are!

If your goal is to teach the autistic to stop stimming you are failing autistics!

If your goal of to teach them to be indistinguishable from peers your failing autistics!

If your first and primary goal is not providing the autistic client with access to as much communication as possible  then you are failing your Autistics! If you are a service provider you are failing your Autistic clients!

these services need to also include teaching presumption of competence to family and all other support staff working with the autistic individual as well, and lessons on the importance of respecting their disabled child’s rights and dignity!

Yes you are failing Autistics when you do not prioritize AAC and access to communication!