As back-to-school season approaches, we asked members of the EyeTech community a simple question: if you could tell your classmates one thing before the first day, what would it be? The answers were honest, funny, and worth hearing.
‘Give Me a Second โ I’m Still Me’
Several respondents mentioned wanting classmates to understand that a short pause before a response does not mean there is nothing to say. One high schooler put it simply: the words are there, they just take a little longer to arrive.
‘Talk to Me, Not About Me’
A recurring theme was frustration with adults or peers speaking to a caregiver instead of directly to the AAC user. Even young children in our community were clear that they notice โ and mind โ being talked over.
‘I Like Jokes Too’
More than one response was, simply, a joke. AAC users want to be funny, sarcastic, and a little weird just like anyone else โ communication devices do not filter out personality.
What Teachers and Classmates Can Do
Small things go a long way: waiting for a response without filling the silence, asking simple direct questions, and treating device use as just another way of talking rather than something to comment on constantly.
Closing
The first weeks of school set the tone for an entire year of classroom relationships. A little patience and a lot of normalcy make all the difference for AAC users finding their footing among new classmates.
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