Do You Use AAC?

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I can talk most of the time, it’s mostly during meltdowns or after a particularly stressful incident that I lose the ability to speak and have to rely on AAC. I really wish I could use it more often, I find it so much easier than speaking and it reduces a lot of the stress and anxiety associated with talking to people. The only reason I don’t is because my parents, with whom I live, wouldn’t understand and would probably get frustrated with me. Does anyone here use AAC? Did you switch to using it more often after speaking for a while? How did those around you take it?

I sometimes can barely speak, and rely on letters I wrote ahead of time. Also, I type and draw with pens instead of actually talking in different games, because I can't really speak then.
What is AAC? Please enlighten me. I would like to learn, as I have trouble speaking sometimes and sometimes can't really talk, or be understood. (occasionally)

I've never used it, and I never needed to.

I'm an impulsive talker, and when I'm too anxious or depressed I'm an impulsive whiner. I can't not speak.

Not me. And I don't plan to.
I'd settle with the traditional board and pen, online messengers or texting if I want a social barrier of sorts.

Or make everyone guess -- and never expected anyone to make sense of it.
Because in a meltdown, I don't plan making any point on anyone. In a meltdown I automatically give up on everyone understanding anything.

Too violent to do so.


Never dealt with mutism myself.

Language processing are one of the first for me to go on a meltdown as opposed to speech or expressive language.

So it's like the reverse of the described situation.


Save for sign languages itself, it's not widely used nor implemented around here.
And I never seen one using AAC at all yet.

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I've never used any tech devices...paper and pen have been sufficient for me. Though it's fair to mention I've used gestures quite a bit too. Generally, I speak just fine. Sometimes though, this is not the case. If I'm really bad and going mute, I'll hit a place where I couldn't use pen and paper if I tried. If I'm writing instead of talking it's usually because I'm preparing for a stressful event or recovering from stress and feeling the need to be easy on myself. Self-care.

Historically people have been mixed on how they react to me choosing to write/gesture over talk. They know if I'm doing that, that I probably can talk. Some people have been annoyed with me for not talking when I am technically capable of doing so. It has made people uncomfortable before because they don't know how they should be acting around me because it is different. A few people have been understanding, knowing it is a form of self-care for me.

No and I don’t plan to. I do preplan what I say a lot if I know it’s easy to mess up. I hardly ever get meltdowns to begin with. I usually just find ways to get space until I can express myself better. I do get pretty snappy at people if they force me to communicate certain things before I’ve processed things. But I don’t really lose the ability to talk.

I sometimes use aac (well its more like google translate because its just easier for me to use and free) but I rarely due unless Im overwhelmed or just to tired to speak, honestly most of my spoken communication is just me repeating things I´ve heard (either from shows or other people)
I do tend to use my hands a lot when communicating, so most of the time people can tell what Im trying to explain