AAC communication: from lived experience
Kayla Ireland, an AAC user who hosts three podcasts through Proloquo2Go, shares what neuroaffirming communication practice actually looks like. In conversation with Laetitia Andrac, she explores why there is no single right way to communicate, why the words we use to describe ourselves belong to us first, and what patience and flexibility mean in practice. The episode challenges allied health professionals to follow the individual rather than imposing community consensus, and offers concrete shifts to make in your work this week.
In short
The non-verbal vs non-speaking debate has no single right answer: the right word belongs to the individual. Kayla Ireland, an AAC user who hosts three podcasts through Proloquo2Go, says the most important quality in a communication partner is patience. There is no hierarchy of communication styles. Lived experience comes first. Each person gets to choose the words that fit them.
You want to get the language right. You have kept up with the shift from non-verbal to non-speaking. You use the terms your professional community recommends. But what happens when the person in front of you uses a different word for themselves, and means something specific by it?
Kayla Ireland uses the word non-verbal about herself. She is an AAC user, a disability advocate, and the host of three podcasts. She has thought carefully about her choice.
In Episode 49 of the Neurodivergent Pulse podcast, host Laetitia Andrac is joined by Kayla Ireland. Kayla is an AAC user, podcast host, disability advocate and co-author who has cerebral palsy and epilepsy. She shares how she prepares and hosts three shows using Proloquo2Go. She talks about what patience and flexibility look like in practice. And she explains why the words we use to describe people belong to those people first.
From guest to host: why Kayla picked up the microphone
Kayla Ireland now runs three podcasts from her iPad. She started none of them by accident. She began as a guest on Marci Silver's speaking series during the pandemic. That turned into co-hosting, and then into shows of her own.
Her reason is straightforward. "I always like having conversations with our community," she says. "Together, we bring passion, knowledge, and unique perspectives to every episode exploring stories of courage, resilience, and innovation, highlighting both the similarities and diverse experiences that unite us all." She started her own show, she explains, "to be able to talk to more people in the neurodivergent community."
Each of her three shows has a distinct focus:
The Inside Scoop of Living with Cerebral Palsy: co-founded with Marci Silver and Catrina James, this show focuses on cerebral palsy and awareness.
Kindly Neurodivergent with Kay: Kayla's own show, built to connect with a wider neurodivergent community.
Rock the World with Kay and Michelle: a co-hosted show that grew out of Kayla and Michelle interviewing each other on their separate channels.
All three run through her iPad. All three are driven by the same belief: every voice has the power to make a difference.
How Kayla Ireland hosts three podcasts using Proloquo2Go
Hosting a podcast through AAC is skilled work. Kayla's preparation process is worth understanding. She types her interview questions into a Google Doc first. Then she copies them into individual blocks in Proloquo2Go on her iPad. They are ready to activate during the conversation.
"I type everything on a Google Doc then copy them into individual blocks on Proloquo2Go," she explains. That is the whole workflow. Scripting reduces cognitive load during the interview itself. It lets Kayla focus on listening and responding rather than generating questions in real time. For more on how AI is changing AAC for neurodivergent communicators, speech pathologist Shae Rodgers explores what is possible at the intersection of technology and communication.
This matters for how you think about scripting in your own practice. Preparation is not a workaround for AAC users. It is a legitimate communication strategy. Many communicators rely on preparation to do their best thinking. Treating it that way changes how you support the people you work with.
What makes a good AAC communication partner
The most important quality in an AAC communication partner, according to Kayla, is patience. Everything else follows from that. She rejects the idea that there is a right method or a hierarchy of communication styles. She does not sort people into familiar and unfamiliar communication partners.
Be patient. I don't like forcing a hierarchy of communication styles. I don't categorize people as unfamiliar communication partners. I use whatever comes natural in the moment: fingerspelling, verbalizing letters and words, body language, or my device.
She means this literally. "If my shirt has letters on it, I will point to those letters to communicate." Whatever is available in the moment is valid. During the episode, Laetitia shared a similar example. A mother had a keyboard tattooed on her arm so her son could point to letters and communicate with her.
For allied health professionals, Kayla's answer translates into a set of practical qualities to cultivate:
Allow processing time. Do not fill pauses. Silence is often the person thinking, not the conversation stalling.
Accept multi-modal communication as equally valid: device output, fingerspelling, body language, pointing, verbalising. All of it counts. For a deeper look at honouring all types of communication, speech therapist Christina Schmidt explores the full spectrum of human expression.
Do not rank communication methods. Speaking is not at the top. There is no top.
Stay flexible about what counts as a communication support. Follow the person's lead about what they reach for.
Resist the urge to categorise someone as an unfamiliar communication partner. Approach each interaction with openness.
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Why authentic communication does not need to be polished
Kayla does not edit out the pauses, the searching moments or the messiness of communication in her shows. She keeps them in on purpose. Removing them would send the wrong message about what communication actually is.
Communication can be simple, complicated, messy, clean, polished, real. It can be misinterpreted, funny, serious. To me, this is an important aspect to show the world. If I edit those out, am I sending the wrong message?
Neurodivergent Pulse takes the same approach. Laetitia explained why: "Because I feel when we edit it out, it look inauthentic. I have moments where I am searching for my own words, especially when a question is not prepared, you know? I need to think through." Keeping those moments in shows other people that thinking takes time, and that is normal.
For practitioners, this is a reminder about processing time in sessions. When you leave space for a client to find their words, you are not being passive. You are communicating that their pace is acceptable. Their thinking is worth waiting for. That is an active, affirming choice. This connects to a broader conversation about rethinking communication goals for neurodivergent people, and why authentic expression matters more than polished output.
Do you say non-verbal or non-speaking? Why the answer belongs to the individual
The non-verbal vs non-speaking question has no single correct answer. That is exactly the point. The words we use to describe a person are not neutral. Kayla uses the word non-verbal about herself, and she has a clear reason for it.
I say I'm non-verbal because to me, that means I use non-verbal communication. I don't understand the shift to calling it non-speaking. And personally, I question why my spoken language sometimes gets labeled as approximations if I have to work so hard to get those out and intelligible.
That second point is worth sitting with. Kayla works hard to produce spoken words. Labelling those words as approximations, rather than as speech, is a choice. It has real implications for how her communication is valued. The distinction is not just about words. It shapes how a person's effort and output are recognised. This connects to a wider conversation about behaviour as communication and co-regulation in practice, and why the frameworks we use carry real weight for the people we support.
Laetitia responded by sharing that her daughter Zoe prefers the term non-speaking. This may be shaped by the affirming care and therapies Zoe receives. "You should choose which word fits best," Laetitia said, "and if Zoe choose non-speaking, I am happy with that." She went further: "This is something that your lived experience come first, and I think everyone should choose how they want to be described, right? I think that's the most important, giving back sovereignty and autonomy on that."
Two people. Two different lived experiences. Two different words, both chosen with care. Neither is wrong. This is what neuroaffirming practice looks like in the specific: not applying the community consensus to every individual. Ask each person what fits them, then follow their answer.
Why neuroaffirming practice means following the individual, not the community consensus
Kayla's conversation with Laetitia is not abstract. It points to concrete shifts that allied health professionals can make, starting this week.
Ask each person how they describe themselves. Do not assume community-preferred terminology fits every individual. Make it a routine part of your intake and your ongoing relationship.
Hold terminology lightly. Know the current community language. Be ready to set it aside when the person in front of you uses something different.
Slow down. Build processing time into your sessions as a default, not as an accommodation you grant on request.
Treat scripting and preparation as legitimate communication strategies. If a client prepares questions or responses in advance, that is skilled practice.
Notice when you are ranking communication styles and interrupt yourself. Device use, fingerspelling, pointing and body language are communication. They are not lesser alternatives to speech.
When a client's spoken output is hard to produce, name the effort accurately. Consider what it communicates to label it as an approximation rather than as speech.
For more on what genuinely neuroaffirming practice looks like, psychologist Adelle Sushames explores how to shift from deficit-based to strength-based approaches in real clinical work.
Understanding Zoe is built on the same principle: affirming support starts with understanding the individual, not the category. The platform helps families and practitioners work from the same observations. It turns what they notice in daily life into next steps that centre the person's actual experience, rather than a generalised profile.
Kayla's work is a reminder that the people you support are often the clearest experts on what they need. Your job is to create the conditions where they can tell you.
Frequently asked questions
Do you say non-verbal or non-speaking?
There is no single correct answer. The right word belongs to the individual. Non-verbal vs non-speaking is an active debate in disability and AAC communities. Different people choose different terms for considered reasons. Kayla Ireland, an AAC user and podcast host, uses non-verbal because it reflects her use of non-verbal communication. Laetitia Andrac's daughter Zoe prefers non-speaking. Both choices are valid. Ask the person in front of you which word fits them.
Can someone be non-verbal and still produce speech?
Yes. Some people produce spoken words with significant effort, yet those words may be labelled as approximations rather than speech. Kayla Ireland raises this directly. She questions why her spoken output is described that way when she works hard to produce it. A person can use AAC as their primary communication method and still produce some spoken words. Neither fact cancels the other.
Does non-verbal mean autism?
No. Non-verbal and non-speaking are terms used across many conditions. These include cerebral palsy, epilepsy, acquired brain injury, and autism. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) supports people across all of these diagnoses. The terms describe a communication profile, not a diagnosis. Kayla Ireland, for example, has cerebral palsy and epilepsy, not autism.
What does a good AAC communication partner do?
A good AAC communication partner leads with patience. They accept all communication modes as equally valid: device output, fingerspelling, body language, pointing, and speech. They allow processing time without filling pauses. They avoid ranking communication methods. They follow the person's lead about what they reach for. For more on this, listen to our conversation with Christina Schmidt on communication beyond speech. She explores why there is no hierarchy of communication. For more on building these skills, see Understanding Zoe's resources for practitioners.
Connect with Kayla Ireland
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