When a non-speaking autistic person finishes their day program or therapy session, the communication support doesn't automatically come home with them. “Life was very different and maybe scary not to speak’, says Chris Drum, a young adult with autism.
He learned to communicate using assisted typing and eventually independently on his phone. For the first time, his family was able to fully communicate with him and it changed their lives. “Our relationship has reached a depth I never expected…he is so caring and kind, and worried about me… I would have never had the chance to know how he feels about me how he views me...[without ACC]” LeAnne Drum, Chris’ sister.
Unfortunately, that is not the norm. There's a tendency to treat AAC as something that happens during structured time. With an SLP. In a classroom. During a session. The device comes out, the communication partner is trained, the space is intentional.
But life doesn't stop at 5pm. Emotions don't pause for the evening or weekend. The need to communicate doesn’t follow a schedule and it isn’t confined to the hours spent in structured environments.
For autistic non-speakers, the evening at home can be the richest time for communication. The public mask is off. The performance demands of the day are done. There's less noise, less pressure, and often more capacity for genuine expression - if the right support is there to meet it.
Whether that's a speech generating device, a communication app, a PECS book, a whiteboard, a letterboard, even a cell phone SMS - whatever AAC system works for that person needs to be just as available at the kitchen table after dinner as it is in the therapy room. Accessible. In reach. And someone willing to engage with it.
That means not assuming that silence equals contentment. It means making space for slow, supported conversation in the rhythms of ordinary home life. The results are immeasurable.
Home is often where the most important things get said. Let's make sure everyone in the home has a real way to say them.
