Finally!  After two years of dropped calls and dead zones, my husband and I are going to be switching cell phone carriers!  While I am excited about the thought of having conversations without apologizing 5 times for being disconnected, I am not looking forward to learning a new phone.  I am not looking forward to trying to figure out how to quickly dial a friend, send text messages, or even remembering the sound of the new ring!  If this trepidation is true of someone who uses various kinds of technology throughout the day, imagine how someone who is not a big technology user might feel when introduced to AAC. 

Lack of acceptance of AAC by people who have had a stroke or TBI probably stems from many sources.  Let’s look at three: 

1.  Fear of/discomfort with technology in general.   This is more likely to be true of older individuals but can occur with any age group.  Individuals in this group may feel like they are going to break a communication device or that it will be too confusing.  What can we do to facilitate acceptance?
   • Present the device using simple words rather than technical lingo.
   • Present simple yet meaningful content on the device.  Just because a device has lots of capabilities does not mean it has to be complex for the person using it.  The easier it is to find and speak important messages, the less likely it will be intimidating. 
   • Just because the device is organized in a simple way, don’t expect that the individual will automatically understand it!  Show him or her how to find and say important messages on the device.
   • Enlist the support of a friend, sibling, child, or even grandchild who is both comfortable with technology AND a good teacher.  This support can be comforting and make accepting the device easier.
2. Misunderstanding that using a communication device indicates that everyone is “giving up” on speech or the recovery process in general.  People who have had a stroke or TBI, very understandably, want to talk again.  It will be important for them to know that using AAC does not diminish this goal.  Instead, it provides a way to communicate until that happens and may even facilitate speech.  Sharing resources like these can be very helpful:
   • “AAC Myths Revealed – AAC will Keep Someone from Talking”
   • “AAC Myths Revealed – Too Soon for AAC after a Neurological Event”
3. Failure to understand the purpose of AAC.  The first two reasons listed here might be overcome if the purpose of AAC was made clear.  As we have discussed several times in this blog, an “ah-ha” moment or the determination of highly motivating topics of communication can make all the difference.  After all, would you expend the effort to accept and learn something new if you didn’t know what it could do for you?  Talking with individuals who are using AAC, or perhaps seeing them in a video can be helpful in clarifying the purpose of AAC.  Take a look at the videos on http://www.dynavoxtech.com/start/stroke/ as well as http://www.dynavoxtech.com/success/default.aspx. 

As you consider AAC for someone who has had a stroke or TBI, or as we consider why an AAC device that was acquired isn’t being used to its fullest, consider the three reasons listed above.  Then ask, what can you do to help change the situation?