Imagine understanding every word the adults around you are saying, but not having a reliable way to respond. Imagine sitting through preschool, elementary school, middle school, and high school while people made decisions about you, talked over you, and assumed they knew what you were thinking—not because you didn't have thoughts, but because you didn't have a reliable way to share them.
That was AAC User Jordyn Zimmerman's reality until she was almost 19 years old.
When I sat down with Jordyn for the Autism Little Learners Podcast, I knew it would be a meaningful conversation. What I didn't expect was how many times I found myself simply stopping to listen. Not because I was thinking about my next question, but because her perspective challenged me to become a better educator.
One sentence, in particular, has stayed with me ever since we finished recording.
“Communication is a basic human right.”
I've repeated those words over and over in my mind because they're so simple, yet they challenge so much of what many of us were taught.
Communication Should Never Be Something a Child Has to Earn
One of the things Jordyn shared that resonated most deeply with me was this: communication isn't something students have to earn. There are no prerequisites for AAC. None.
As educators, many of us were taught that children should first demonstrate certain skills before they were given access to a robust communication system. Maybe they needed to match pictures. Maybe they needed to master requesting. Maybe someone decided they weren't “ready.”
If I'm being honest, there was a time early in my career when I didn't know any different either. Like so many educators, I was doing the very best I could with the information I had. Looking back, I'm grateful that I've continued learning because some of the things I believed twenty-five years ago aren't the things I believe today.
Jordyn challenged me to think about language in a way that's beautifully simple.
We don't wait for toddlers to prove they deserve spoken language before we talk to them. We don't limit the words they hear until they've mastered asking for a snack or pointing to a picture. We surround them with language from the very beginning. We read books, sing songs, narrate our routines, and have conversations long before they ever speak their first word.
So why would we expect something different from a child who communicates through AAC?
Every child deserves rich language. Every child deserves opportunities to express themselves. And every child deserves adults who believe they have something worth saying, even if they haven't yet found the best way to say it.
That isn't a privilege. It's a basic human right.
A Lack of Speech Is Not a Lack of Understanding
Another part of our conversation has stayed with me ever since we finished recording.
Jordyn shared that she understood far more than the adults around her realized. People often talked about her instead of with her. Decisions were made in front of her. Conversations happened around her. Assumptions were made simply because she wasn't communicating with spoken words.
That broke my heart.
It also reminded me how easy it is—even with the very best intentions—to unintentionally underestimate a child.
When we don't hear spoken words, our brains naturally want to fill in the blanks. We assume a child doesn't understand, isn't paying attention, or isn't ready for more complex language.
But speech and understanding are not the same thing. Just because a child isn't speaking doesn't mean they aren't listening. It doesn't mean they aren't learning. And it certainly doesn't mean they don't have opinions, ideas, questions, or stories waiting to be shared.
That's why presuming competence matters so much. It's not just a phrase we put on a presentation slide. It's something we practice every day in the way we speak to children, the language we model, and the opportunities we create for them to participate.
I know I've grown in this area over the years, and conversations like this one with Jordyn continue to stretch my thinking. I hope they do the same for you. Because every child deserves adults who look beyond what they can say today and believe in everything they're capable of becoming.
Communication Is About So Much More Than Requesting
One of my favorite moments during our conversation had nothing to do with research.
It had to do with Jordyn's brother.
We were talking about communication, and somewhere along the way Jordyn shared a story about teasing him. I laughed because it sounded exactly like something siblings do. There was sarcasm, a little playful back-and-forth, and a whole lot of personality.
As I sat there listening, I caught myself smiling. Not because it was funny, although it absolutely was, but because it reminded me what communication is really about.
For so many years, our conversations around AAC have centered on requesting.
- Can a child ask for a snack?
- Can they request a favorite toy?
- Can they tell us they need the bathroom?
Those things matter. Of course they do. But if that's all we're working toward, we're missing something much bigger.
- Communication is telling a joke.
- It's asking a question.
- It's disagreeing.
- It's sharing an opinion.
- It's comforting a friend.
- It's telling a story about your weekend.
- It's teasing your brother because that's what siblings do.
The more I listened to Jordyn, the more I realized that's the gift of robust AAC. Not simply giving children a way to ask for what they need. Giving them a way to show the world who they are. Because communication isn't just about getting our needs met.
- It's how we build relationships.
- It's how we connect.
- It's how we belong.
And every child deserves that.
Some Lessons Can't Be Learned From a Textbook
After twenty-five years in classrooms, I've learned a lot. I've attended conferences. I've read the research. I've taken the professional development. Every one of those experiences has shaped the educator I am today.
But every once in a while, a conversation comes along that teaches you something research alone never could. This was one of those conversations. No journal article can explain what it felt like for Jordyn to understand everything around her while the world assumed she didn't.
No research study can fully capture what it meant to finally have access to a robust communication system after nearly nineteen years. And no evidence-based practice can replace listening to someone who has actually lived the experience we're trying so hard to understand. That's why I wanted you to hear Jordyn's voice. Not because I wanted to interview an expert. Because I wanted all of us, including me, to become better listeners.
Sometimes I think the greatest growth happens when we stop asking, “What's the next strategy?” and start asking, “What can I learn from someone who has lived this experience?”
Jordyn reminded me that growth doesn't come from having all the answers. It comes from being willing to keep learning.
The Conversation Doesn't End Here
When we finished recording this episode, I remember thinking, We're not done.
There were still so many questions I wanted to ask Jordyn. So many moments I wanted to sit with a little longer. That's the beautiful thing about learning from someone with lived experience, it doesn't just give you new strategies. It changes the way you think.
That's exactly why I invited Jordyn to join me again during the VIP Day of this year's Preschool Autism Summit.
Together, we'll have a deeper conversation about presuming competence, communication, and what it really looks like to create classrooms where every child has access to language, connection, and belonging. We'll move beyond inspiration and into implementation, talking honestly about the small shifts that create lasting change for autistic children.
If you've ever found yourself wondering, “How can I do better for the children I support?” I think you'll leave that conversation encouraged, challenged, and inspired. Not because you'll have every answer, but because you'll leave asking better questions.
And sometimes, that's where growth begins.
Every Child Deserves a Way to Be Heard
When people ask me why this work matters so much, I always come back to something Jordyn said during our conversation. Communication is a basic human right.
Not something children earn. Not something we wait to offer. A basic human right.
My hope is that after listening to Jordyn's story, you'll carry that truth into your classroom, your therapy room, or your home. Because when we believe every child has something worth saying, we begin showing up differently.
- We slow down.
- We honor wait time.
- We presume competence.
- We create opportunities for communication instead of barriers to it.
And little by little, those small shifts change lives. That's the ripple I hope this conversation creates.
One educator.
One classroom.
One child at a time.
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