by Stephanie Fossov, PRC-Saltillo Ambassador
Building A Value-Based Life For Individuals with AAC Needs
AAC and ACT
When we think about supporting AAC communicators, we often focus on the words on the screen, the symbols, the access methods, and the daily communication routines. But there is something deeper that deserves just as much attention. Every AAC communicator has a set of personal values that shape who they are. These values guide the decisions they make, the relationships they form, and the life they hope to build.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) provides a compassionate approach to help individuals connect with what truly matters to them. When support systems approach AAC communication through the lens of values, the communicator’s authentic voice can grow stronger, more precise, and more confident.
To understand the power of this, let us begin with a real example of what happens when someone tries to live by values that are not truly their own.
A Story About Trying to Please Others
For years, I tried to be the “good Catholic daughter” my family wanted me to be. I learned the rituals, memorized the prayers, said the Our Father, took communion every Sunday evening, prayed the rosary, attended Mass, and followed the traditions because it made my family proud. I sat at church trying to look reverent. I nodded along in CCD (Confraternity of Christian Doctrine) classes, which I attended from the age of three until I was in high school, and participated in Catholic-based retreats. Everyone around me seemed so comforted by the traditions, and I wanted to share that with them. I really did.
But inside, I felt disconnected. The rituals felt like motions rather than having meaning. I tried to convince myself that this was who I was supposed to be. I did it so my family would be happy and so they would not worry about me. But ACT teaches us something important. When we act out values that do not come from within, a quiet tension builds. A sense of being “not quite myself” starts to grow.
For me, what I truly valued was something different. I wanted a personal relationship with God through Christ. I wanted connection, honesty, and faith that felt alive, not practiced. I valued speaking to God directly. I valued love, not rituals. I valued the quiet moments when I felt God listening. Those were the moments when I felt whole.
However, I hid that truth because I didn't want to disappoint anyone.
This inner struggle is something many AAC communicators experience. They may not be pretending to be Catholic, but they often feel pulled between what others expect and what they genuinely feel inside. And that is where support systems can make all the difference.
Helping AAC Communicators Notice What Comes From Within
Just like I confused “my family’s values” with “my own values,” individuals with AAC needs sometimes lean toward the choices adults expect from them. You can help by asking gentle questions such as:
“What is most important to you in this moment?”
“How does this choice make you feel?”
“Does this feel like something you want, or something others want for you?”
These questions create space for authenticity. They give the communicator permission to explore without pressure.
And just as importantly, you can ask yourself, “Am I honoring their voice or guiding them toward mine?” This moment of reflection strengthens trust.
In my work with clients as an AAC peer mentor and peer counselor, I regularly reflect with them on their own values, enabling them to recognize the importance of both big and small things. This skill is known as reflecting value, which originates from the person-centered therapy framework. For example, I have told one of my clients, “I can sense that you really value chocolate almond milk.” It may sound silly and insignificant, but it is their value in the end.
Exploring What Truly Matters Through Warm Conversations
Values often reveal themselves in the moments when someone lights up or relaxes. In my story, the moment I stepped away from the pressure to be “Catholic enough,” my relationship with God felt more genuine. I felt free. My faith became personal, quiet, and honest. It became mine.
AAC communicators also discover their values when given opportunities to explore and express them. You can help by noticing:
“When do they show excitement?”
“When do they show calm?”
“When do they seem proud?”
“When do they seem connected?”
Ask, “What do you love about this?” or “What makes this important to you?” These warm, open-ended questions invite deeper insight.
Using Mindfulness to Create Space for Personal Choice
Mindfulness means checking in with what is happening inside. When I asked myself during the rituals in Mass, “Is this meaningful to me?” I began to notice the answer. It took mindfulness to realize the rituals were not where my heart lived.
You can bring this into AAC support by pausing and saying, “What thoughts or feelings are coming up for you right now?” It might not sound like a big question, but it gives the communicator time to notice their inner experience.
Mindfulness helps separate our actual values from expectations.
Gently Stepping Back From Outside Pressure
When I practiced ACT defusion strategies with my own faith identity, I learned to say, “I am having the thought that I need to act Catholic so my family will approve.” This slight shift helped me recognize that the thought was not a command. It was just a thought.
AAC communicators can also learn this skill. You might help them label thoughts like, “I am having the thought that I should choose what this world wants,” or “I am having the thought that my family expects this.”
Tools that prompt AAC communicators to say “Pause,” “Check,” or “What do I want?” can support this process.
Encouraging Meaningful Reflection Activities
One thing that helped me understand my values was writing about moments when I felt closest to God. Those reflections helped me realize my faith was personal, not ritual-based.
AAC communicators benefit from similar activities. They might make a vision board, record a video message, build a symbol story, or choose images that represent things that matter to them. You can guide them with prompts like:
“What makes you feel connected?”
“What makes you feel proud?”
“What do you want your life to be full of?”
Reflection helps values grow roots.
Turning Values Into Everyday Actions
After I accepted that I valued personal connection with God over ritual, I acted on that value by praying quietly, journaling, reading Scripture, or simply talking to God in my own words.
Individuals with AAC needs can also turn values into small, actionable steps. If they value friendship, they might message a friend once a week. If they value creativity, they might set aside time to create art. If they value independence, they might choose one activity each day without prompts.
Values become powerful when they shape real action.
Supporting Bravery When It Feels Hard
Telling my family I did not connect with the Catholic rituals was one of the hardest things I've ever done. But it was a values-based choice, and ACT teaches us that courage grows through these moments.
Individuals with AAC needs also have moments when following their values feels uncomfortable. You can support them by saying, “I am here,” or “This is brave,” or “Your voice matters.”
These warm words help them step into authenticity.
Celebrating Their True Voice
When AAC communicators express their values clearly, take a moment to celebrate those moments. When they make choices that reflect who they are, reflect that to them with warmth and joy.
Just as I eventually found peace by honoring my own faith-based values, AAC communicators thrive when they feel free to be themselves.
Your support helps them find a life that feels meaningful, authentic, and truly their own.
Glossary
AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication)
A collection of tools, systems, and strategies that support communication for individuals who cannot rely on speech alone. AAC may include devices, symbol systems, communication apps, letter boards, gestures, and other methods.
AAC Communicator
A person who uses AAC to express thoughts, feelings, needs, beliefs, and ideas. This term emphasizes autonomy and acknowledges communication as a human right.
Access Method
The physical or sensory way an AAC communicator selects or activates messages on their system. Examples include eye gaze, direct touch, switches, partner-assisted scanning, and head tracking.
Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT)
A therapeutic approach that teaches individuals to notice internal experiences, clarify their personal values, and take action that aligns with those values. ACT emphasizes psychological flexibility, mindfulness, and compassionate self-awareness.
Values
Enduring qualities or life directions that matter deeply to an individual. Values guide how a person wants to live, behave, and relate to others. Examples include honesty, creativity, independence, faith, compassion, and connection.
Value-Based Living
Making choices and taking actions that reflect one’s actual values rather than acting from pressure, fear, or expectations. Value-based living supports authenticity and long-term well-being.
Authentic Voice
The genuine expression of a person’s inner thoughts and values. An authentic voice is not shaped by pleasing others but emerges from what the communicator truly believes, feels, and wants.
Support System
The group of people who provide practical, emotional, or communication-related assistance to an AAC communicator. This may include family, friends, educators, therapists, aides, mentors, and community members.
Reflection
The process of looking inward to understand one’s experiences, emotions, and motivations. Reflection helps individuals identify what is meaningful and notice patterns in their behavior or choices.
Person-Centered Therapy
A counseling approach focused on empathy, nonjudgmental understanding, and respect for the individual’s lived experience. Person-centered therapy views the client as the expert on their own life and emphasizes reflecting values that matter to them.
Mindfulness
The practice of paying focused and open attention to the present moment. Mindfulness enables individuals to notice their thoughts, emotions, and sensations without judgment, fostering a clearer understanding of their values.
Defusion (ACT Skill)
A technique in Acceptance and Commitment Therapy that helps individuals separate themselves from unhelpful thoughts. Defusion encourages statements such as “I am having the thought that…” which creates space for choice and reduces the power of automatic thinking.
Expectations
Beliefs, rules, or pressures from others that may influence how someone behaves or makes decisions. Expectations can originate from family, school, culture, or society and may align with or conflict with an individual’s values.
Inner Experience
The thoughts, feelings, memories, and physical sensations occurring within a person. Understanding inner experience enables individuals to distinguish between their personal values and external demands.
Symbol Story
A narrative created using AAC symbols, images, or photographs. Symbol stories enable AAC communicators to express their ideas, experiences, and values in a visual format.
Vision Board
A collection of images, symbols, or words representing a person’s goals, hopes, and values. Vision boards help individuals clarify what matters most and imagine the life they want to build.
Values Reflection Questions
Open-ended questions that guide individuals to identify what is important to them. Examples include “What do you love about this experience?” or “What do you want your life to be full of?”
Choice-Making
The ability to select an option based on personal preference or value. ACT encourages individuals to make choices that reflect inner clarity rather than external pressure.
Courage in ACT
The willingness to take action toward one’s values even when it feels uncomfortable or frightening. ACT views courage as a sign of growth, not the absence of fear.
Authenticity
Living and communicating in ways that align with one’s true self. Authenticity emerges when individuals feel safe to express their own values, preferences, and beliefs.
Values-Based Action
Concrete steps that reflect a person’s values. Examples include reaching out to a friend, creating art, practicing a faith, advocating for oneself, or setting boundaries. Values become meaningful when they guide daily behavior.
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