Recast: Kathy Howery: Understanding the Lived Experiences of AAC Users
Published 2024-07-11
Before the interview, Chris, Rachel, and the previous host of TWT, Lucas Stuber discuss the lived experience of AAC users and the importance of being empathetic and supportive in our therapy.
Key Ideas This Episode:
🔑 It’s not just about knowing how AAC devices work cognitively or intellectually - we need to do everything we can to understand what it feels like to use these devices and how they impact social interactions.
🔑 Kathy highlights the importance of developing empathetic practices, including challenging our preconceptions and being open to AAC users' personal experiences and perspectives. The aim is to foster a more compassionate and understanding approach when interacting with AAC users.
🔑 AAC users often use multiple modalities to communicate, including gestures, facial expressions, and body language, just like non-AAC users do. She also notes that an AAC user’s delay in responding can affect some interactions, and she stresses the importance of providing AAC users with various means of communication to ensure they are perceived as capable and intelligent.
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