Hannah Joy Communication

11/09/2026

Do you worry that your child might just play with high-tech AAC? 🤔

What if I told you that if they did play with it, they’d be doing some pretty great language learning AND establishing brilliant AAC skills? 🙌

It’s essential for language development that we give children enough words to allow them to play with language ⭐️

To enjoy the sound

Say something a million times

Try something funny

And maybe even to put words together in ways you NEVER expected.

Like when one child discovered the words “reindeer” and “diarrhoea” and put them together - he loved the sounds and thought they were hilarious when repeated to everyone in his family! 💩😂

Nobody taught him to say “reindeer diarrhoea.”

He had the words available…

and he worked out what HE wanted to do with them 🎉

And that’s what I mean when I say we want children to have enough words to play with language.

Playing with words IS how children learn words.

So instead of worrying:
“What if they just play with it?”

Let’s ask:
“How can we give a child MORE words to play with?”

More words to have fun with.

More words to put together in ways we didn’t expect.

More words to say something we couldn’t possibly have predicted.

Because that’s when it stops being about what WE think they might need to say and starts being about discovering what THEY want to say 💛

Day 5 of saying what I really think about AAC

I’m Hannah and I love discovering what children have to say when we give them the words they need to surprise us 😄

03/09/2026

Have you ever worried that you should be waiting and holding back more before giving your child what they want?

You understand what they’re telling you. So you respond.

I want you to know that being tuned in and responsive to your child is exactly the thing to do. Trust your instincts on this. No-one needs more frustration added to that moment.

Every time you respond, they’re learning:

“I communicated. Mum heard me. What I said mattered.”

We’re building trust, safety and predictability around communication.

And that gives us a brilliant place to start when we introduce high-tech AAC and give them the opportunity to try new ways of saying what they want to say.

So please don’t worry that you’re not doing enough, and you can throw away any guilt too. You’re doing exactly what your child needs you to do. 🥰

Day 4 of saying what I REALLY think about AAC

I’m Hannah, and I help parents teach their child to use high-tech AAC so they can communicate whatever they want to say, beyond requests and choices.

Follow if you’d like to think about AAC differently. 💛

01/09/2026

Why do we treat access to communication technology so differently? 🤔

Across Scotland, many children are routinely given technology to support their education.

They don’t have to prove they’re going to use it “functionally” first. They’re given access because we recognise that technology can support their learning.

But when a child is nonspeaking or struggles with speech, access to technology for communication can be a very different story.

Families are still told no, not yet, or that their child needs to demonstrate certain skills before high-tech AAC will even be considered.

If we can prioritise technology for education, why aren’t we prioritising technology for communication too?

Is it money? Complications around funding? Or simply that it hasn’t been prioritised enough.

What do you think? I’d love to hear your experience if you’re a parent navigating this. Drop a comment and let me know 💛

It’s time we asked more questions about access to high-tech AAC.

Day 3 of saying what I REALLY think about AAC.

Follow along if you want to think differently about AAC.

I’m Hannah, and I help parents teach their child high-tech AAC so they can move towards communicating whatever they want to say — beyond choices and requests ☺️

31/08/2026

Your child shouldn’t have to PROVE they’re ready for high-tech AAC.

Not by using a core board first.
Not by showing enough attention.
Not by making enough requests.
Not by reaching some invisible “readiness” milestone.

Instead we can ask this question:

Does this child have a way to communicate everything they might want to say — now and in the future?

If the answer is no, then it’s completely reasonable to be asking about high-tech AAC.

Because we can’t know exactly what your child’s learning will look like with AAC until they get their hands on it.

✅ They need access

✅ And they need someone to show them what it’s all about 💛

What do you think? Have you been told your child can’t have access to high-tech AAC until they show certain skills?

Day 2 of saying what I REALLY think about AAC

I’m Hannah and I help parents teach their child high-tech AAC so they can move towards communicating whatever they want to say, beyond choices and requests.

Follow along if you want to think differently about AAC.

29/08/2026

We don’t need fancy toys to teach a child to use AAC to communicate 🙌

The most powerful communication moments are already happening within the relationship you have with your child. Adding AAC to those moments is often when the best learning happens 💛

I couldn’t tell you how many times a parent I’ve helped has added the phrase ‘Squeeze my feet’
🦶

So instead of asking:

“How do I use these toys to ‘get’ my child to communicate with AAC?”

We can ask a better question:

“How are they already communicating — and how could AAC become part of that?”

Side note: I still love a fancy toy - bouncy, flashy, stretchy, squeezy, noisy toys - and many children have favourite toys. We just don’t need to ‘use’ them to ‘get’ a child to communicate. We don’t need to hijack their play and regulation moments to teach AAC.

Of course there are opportunities to use AAC alongside this play. But I’ve found it’s not usually the most helpful place to start.

So if your child isn’t that into toys and you don’t feel they have many interests, just know that’s not a barrier to you starting high tech AAC. We just look at what they DO love instead 😀

Day 1 of saying what I REALLY think about AAC.

I’m Hannah, an AAC & Autism Coach, using my experience as a Speech & Language Therapist to help parents teach their child high-tech AAC so they can communicate what they want to say beyond requests and choices 💛

Follow along if you want to think differently about high-tech AAC 💪

28/08/2026

30 days of saying what I REALLY think about AAC 👀

How autistic children learn high-tech AAC 🎉🙌

How parents learn alongside them 💪

And some bigger questions about access to high-tech AAC and the support families receive 🤔

I don’t have all the answers.

But I do think we can always ask better questions 💛

Day 1 starts tomorrow.

Follow along if you want to think differently about high-tech AAC 😀

24/08/2026

24/08/2026

When your child doesn’t use the words you’ve been teaching them, it can feel like AAC isn’t working.

But what if they use a completely different word? 🤔

Maybe they don’t say GO when you’ve been using “go” over and over…

…but one day they find DINOSAUR and you notice they’ve said that word three times! 🦖

I love these moments. The moments when your child learns what AAC is really all about.

When they’re learning:

“I can use AAC to say what I want to say — not just what you want me to say.”

And that’s when their love for AAC starts to grow, and they start to feel the power of what AAC can do for them.

Our job isn’t to control every word our children learn. It’s to show them the power of AAC, give them lots of opportunities to explore it — and notice the moments when they surprise us.

Because those moments that don’t feel like “progress” might actually be when your child learns something even more important than you imagined.

What has your child said with AAC that surprised you? 😮

If you’re wondering whether AAC is actually working for your child, DM me “AAC” and tell me where you’re stuck.

And save this for the days when progress doesn’t look the way you expected it to. 💛

If you’re new here, hi, I’m Hannah 👋

I help parents make high-tech AAC part of real life — so their child can discover the power of communicating what they want to say.

I’m here to help you understand AAC, notice the progress you might otherwise miss, and see the possibilities in your child’s communication.

If you want to feel more confident helping your child communicate with AAC — for so much more than requests — you’re in the right place. 💛

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