Please I do not want to speak.

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I find speaking so hard and challenging. It's like speaking a language one finds really hard to learn.

But people around me (housemates in this supported housing, mental health team, uni, family, etc) don't seem to want me to use AAC. They make me feel embarrassed if I use AAC. For example, one resident here laughed out loud when I typed a message into my text-to-speech app on my phone. Someone from my mental health team said its important to speak out loud.

It would be less of a strain using AAC. Also people have said I am clear and eloquent when typing. When I speak, I get people saying "I don't get what you're saying" or just giving me a blank stare.

Advice?

Nobody can MAKE you do anything. My advice would be to do what makes you feel comfortable.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Selective_mutism

That's you! Like the Squid says, in most situations, you won't be punished for not speaking, so if you're uncomfortable, just don't!

Thanks Squid, that makes sense.

I was made to believe that not being normal = freak = get bullied, due to abuse from my mother and bullying at school.

What does aac mean?

And text to speech voices sound stupid is my guess for why the person laughed. It sounds ridiculous even when it's something like Stephen hawking using a computer voice to communicate but he has to no choice so it's understandable, where strictly speaking you do not need it. You'd be better served just sending messages or getting people to read what you've written. Just eliminate the talking computer part of the communication and It'd make it easier to deal with.

Btw I've been accused of being mean already so I would just like to state that it's not my intention to do anything but state what I think. Sorry if my communication style comes over as nasty.

I know it means alternative (i.e., to speech) methods of communication, such as PECS, text-speech aps, etc.

I forgot what the other "a" means in the acronym.

Ah ok, so basically referring to the text to speech thing. Thank you.

Btw op, it's not meant as a personal insult to say computer voices sound stupid. It's not YOUR voice so I hope you take it as I meant it. It's an insult towards computers if anything .

Hmm, having said that, dya think trying some alternative voices out could reduce how silly the voice sounds? The American one on my siri sounds way worse than the British voice for example.

Now I remember:

AUGMENTATIVE and ALTERNATIVE Communication.

Hello! It is very nice to meet you!


I too am not comfortable speaking and to be honest speaking for me is physically taxing and it causes e to have trouble functioning in other ways, for example in processing vissual information. Speaking also make me feel extremely detached and out of touch as they say.

I prodominantly use aac apps for my communication, it can't be hard and tiring at times too but much better for me then speaking.


My biggest issue is also people not understanding, this can be very very hard.


Ps this isn't selective mutism I don't think. Selective mutism is actually a severe anxiety disorder. The person becomes mute(not by choice) in various places ussually with large crowds, new people or out of the home) it is called selective mutism because there ares A small select number of places where they can and do speak just fined

There Re actually some pretty good aac voices that don't sound silly, I heard an amazing one used by Carly flishman once in a YouTube clump I saw of her on some talk show. Could never find it again but it really sounded human!! !


Generally though those are very hard to come by. However some programs hVe somewhat decent sounding voices, but I know what you mean!!


I heard there are in other countries programs or whatever that have amazing computer voices that are literally indistinguishable frm human speech (like what Carly used) but for whatever reason those haven't made it over here to the us and not currently part of any aac app I know of

If you don't want to speak, just don't. And you can tell them through whatever medium you choose to use that they are arrogant and selfish and mean for making you speak and it is your right to not have to. Tell them to try being Autistic for a day and see how they do. My husband actually did that to someone.

My husband and I both have energy management issues where our bodies have trouble managing energy so we have to do the managing by eating right and regularly and by making sure we rest whenever we need to. But people who don't have that issue don't understand so we had friends that were like energizer bunnies and would just go go go all the time and just expect us to keep up. One day my husband was spending the night with one of the guys and he woke him up out of a deep sleep at three in the morning and before the guy was even awake, he said, "C'mon, let's get going, get up let's move." Of course the guy was upset and said he was too tired and he could not just get up and move. My husband said, "See, this is how I feel when you expect me to keep up with you all the time." He understood.

Just use your AAC. People will deal. Yes, I imagine it's good to practice speaking in case you need to, but people are generally talking to you about your comfort, not theirs.

You can be firm about it. If they want to communicate with you, well, this is how you communicate. People know how to read, it's not a hardship generally. The rhythm of conversation will be different with you, that's all.

It's better if you use the mode of communication which conveys your thoughts best.

I would continue to practice using my verbal speech, though. So you don't lose that ability. This is especially useful should your batteries go dead all of a sudden.

Its depends on what it is about speaking that you find hard and difficult.

Is it keeping track (or interest) in what others say or is it the 'mind blank' when trying to come up with what to say...or is it that you know what to say it just doesn't seem to come out right because your mind is ten words ahead but your mouth cant keep up?

(personally, in my case, its a combination of all the above )

They're wrong. You should be allowed to use whatever accommodations you need in order to communicate effectively.

People tend to overvalue doing things in "typical" ways. Speech being one of those things - and if you use atypical means of communication (such as AAC) people turn into a**holes.

When I needed to type at one of my case manager appointments, my case manager told me that my typing was clearer and more straightforward than my speech, but she still wanted me to speak instead of type because she believed that what I said reflected my "true self" more than my writing.

Thanks Verdandi, that makes a lot of sense.

My therapist today offered to let me use the keyboard but despite speech limitations I couldn't.