People are Similar Even if They Speak Different Languages

We just had a conversation (one of many) about teaching someone how to  USE an AAC device.  A colleague who is learning about  AAC brought up the idea  that teaching AAC  was like  teaching someone a different language.  Thinking about that made us realize it was also like learning another language for both the communicator and the communication partner.   In fact was not ‘like’ learning another language, it really WAS  another language.  It may be another form of English (for us, Spanish for others, Mandarin for others still)  but  for our students/clients, learning an AAC system is just like trying to learn a new language without ever going to the country that the language is spoken and very rarely hearing other people speak this new language.  People may also have trouble understanding this new language.  There are few opportunities for an AAC user to be fully immersed in AAC systems  as a language.  So it was a great coincidence when we came upon this concept illustrated so well in this video titled Different Languages: