I can speak, but I have moments where I am nonverbal. It doesn't happen often, but it's distressing when it does, so I figured it'd be nice to have an AAC app as a backup.
For instance, one time at college, I was in the cafeteria and experiencing sensory overload. I was nonverbal and wanted to ask one of the chefs if I could have a container to take the food to a quieter location (usually not allowed). I ended up writing what I wanted to say on a napkin and handed it to them--it worked, and I got what I needed, but it would have been quicker if I had an app for it so I wouldn't have to suffer the anxiety for so long. Plus I hate handwriting.
Usually I just wait it out when I'm nonverbal. If I really need to communicate during that time, I put up with that feeling of being utterly alone and trapped in my own head, because I'm used to being seen as "high-functioning" and don't want to be looked down upon for using AAC. But I think at this point I need to get over it, and non-autistics do too... everyone communicates differently, and AAC is a totally legitimate method. It does not mean we are any less than verbal people.
Feel free to recommend any other alternative communication apps so I can add them to the resources list on this page!
~Other apps recommended~
(Including I Can Communicate-- some of these recommended by a friend, thank you!):
LetMeTalk (Text to speech, line up images to form sentences.)
Emergency Chat (Similar to texting, but between two people on the same phone)
Tippy Talk (Tap a picture, it sends a text to any phone.)
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