Behavior Pathways

04/14/2026

Behaviors with Purpose
We always laugh with this one 🤣

04/13/2026

Yellow flag:

If you walk into a clinic, and they’re packed like sardines… that might be a yellow flag. Look into this further. It could be a safety liability, it could be prioritizing quantity over quality… it could be a handful of things.

The couple of times I’ve been in this situation there were definitely underlying issues.

04/05/2026

Some people think a kid might be too young to introduce to AAC.

This is a misconception!

This boy started before he was 2 and is still within his first year of learning AAC.

First step = believe they can

03/18/2026

Listen, one thing I appreciate is the clients who are brutally honest.

03/13/2026

Does your AAC user have the ability to let you know a word is missing?

If you use phrases anywhere consider using a self-advocacy folder with something like “I need more words” or “I don’t have that in my device”

If you do not use phrases anywhere ensure that the words to create a similar sentence are there: help, word, miss, device, etc.

I have had multiple users be able to tell me they needed me to add something thanks to this!

03/11/2026

Two kids drew me today 😂 one even got my beauty mark on my cheek!!! 🥹 (drawn on his AAC device in the whiteboard section)

It’s the little things. I am SEEN 😭

This kids in this family are so full of love. Always yelling hi, how are you, and about 4 of them will spontaneously say I love you.

Those moments fill my cup and keep me going 🩷

03/10/2026

Twice, this boy grabbed a piece of paper, scribbled on it, and said it was for his baby nephew. The first time, he stuffed it in an envelope. This time I asked him, what does your letter say?

He kept saying words that were home related (house, home, window, door, roof). So, I decided to show him how to write a letter. After I gave him an example, we tried it one more time. This time he signed “mom, dad” and then used his AAC to say “home”. Mom was listening to our conversation and asked him, do you want the baby to come to Mama’s and Daddy’s house? He nodded.

We practiced expanding it to a full sentence, because he is usually capable of using creating 5-9 word sentences (but this was very new).

I wrote his words down, and he found an envelope. This time, mama gave me an address and stamp to send it off (Go Mama!! 👏🏽).

He was SO excited to put it in the mailbox, and the next morning he signed to me that he wanted to go check if the mailman got the letter.

A year and a half ago, he met me and only pointed. He had tried a random AAC app that was not set up for his success. He communicates all day now, he prefers sign language but still can and will use his communication device as well.

He asks for things, he comments on what’s going on, he’ll add on to someone else’s conversation, he asks questions, and this week he sent a freaking letter. Because he wanted to. Because he CAN.

Some people appear as if they “can’t” communicate, but you’ll never know what’s going on in their minds if you don’t try. I have had many people ask me in many different situations why do I try? Why bother? Or, tell me “don’t bother, they don’t know what you’re saying/they don’t know what they’re looking at”. I’ve seen a teacher put a kid’s space in a corner not visible to anything in the room because “he don’t know what he looking at anyway.” Well, he did.

TLDR; you don’t know what someone is capable of until you do your best to find out.

Disclaimer: All photos and videos shared here are used with the explicit permission of the clients or their guardians. We strictly adhere to privacy guidelines and ensure no personally identifiable health information is disclosed.

03/06/2026

Freedom of speech people! If a user’s peers have access to the language, they should too. Otherwise we will be not respecting their freedom of speech and perpetuating “babying” people who grow up to be adults (this is especially true for neurodivergent teens).

He directly asked me to add this, and he shall receive 🫡

Did we have to have conversations about chilling out with the middle finger with siblings? Yes. Was he able to “middle finger” his older brother who originally taught him this concept and thus had equal opportunity ? Also, yes! 🙌🏽

🤭🖕🏽

03/05/2026

Freedom of speech people! If a user’s peers have access to the language, they should too. Otherwise we will be not respecting their freedom of speech and perpetuating “babying” people who grow up to be adults.

See the comments for an example 😅

Let’s talk about a controversial topic: cursing and AAC. 🤬

Before anyone panics, no, I am not advocating that we load up a 5-year-old’s talker with profanities. But as practitioners, parents, and advocates, we need to have a very real conversation about teenagers (and adults!)

Teenagers curse. They use slang. They express frustration, anger, and even excitement in ways that aren’t always “polite.” It’s a completely normal part of adolescent development and peer connection.

Think about it this way: If a speaking teenager curses in the middle of class, do we put tape over their mouth? Absolutely not. There might be a natural consequence or a conversation about “time and place,” but we don’t physically remove their ability to speak.

When we refuse to program age-appropriate language, including swear words or slang, into an AAC device for a teen, we are essentially doing just that. We are restricting their voice.

Giving an AAC user a folder with these words isn’t about encouraging disrespect. It’s about autonomy. It’s about giving them the exact same access to the full spectrum of language that their speaking peers naturally have. They deserve the right to express themselves fully, and the opportunity to learn how and when to use those words, just like anyone else.

02/11/2026

This week with the kids we did a couple days worth of Valentine’s Day activities. Today I asked everyone “What do you love? Who do you love?What’s your favorite?”

Some chose their siblings, one chose a nurse, but this boy chose me. My heart is full 🩷

On the AAC I modeled “I love” and he filled in the next word 🥹

AAC app is WeaveChat.

Image Description: photo one is a boy’s hands coloring a sheet with the outline of two people. Photo two is an AAC app that says “I love Valentina”

Disclaimer: All photos and videos shared here are used with the explicit permission of the clients or their guardians. We strictly adhere to privacy guidelines and ensure no personally identifiable health information is disclosed.

01/30/2026

Humor and connection are extremely important when teaching communication!

This boy is almost a teen, with older brothers who already have “teenage boy” humor.

My goal is not for him to have “clean” vocabulary or humor (that would be determined by his family). My goal is for him to have access to words just like his peers (even if sometimes they are not the most appropriate thing to say).

If his similar aged peers have freedom of speech to say something and he indicates to me that the word is missing from his device, I will add it.

Whatever consequences same aged peers get for inappropriate speech or behavior can be given to him by his caregivers. However, the same way you wouldn’t put duct tape on the vocal peer’s mouth, I will not put metaphorical duct tape on an AAC user by withholding their device, hiding words, etc,

Freedom of speech is for everyone, including those who use other communication modalities.

Disclaimer: All photos and videos shared here are used with the explicit permission of the clients or their guardians. We strictly adhere to privacy guidelines and ensure no personally identifiable health information is disclosed.

01/29/2026

Today was a great day thanks to our community helpers! Our mail people and trash collectors are SO loved by the kids. My boy will go wait outside for them and even tell me he wants to wait for them. They care about the kids, and the kids know it. They were extra special today and let them honk the horn!!!