Why I Named My Practice "Say Their Way"
A little about my philosophy as a speech-language pathologist, and how the name of this practice came to be.
I spent a long time thinking about a name for this business. Some of the advice I got was that it didn't really matter - just pick something and keep going. But starting this practice wasn't a casual decision, and I didn't want the name to feel rushed either.
I wanted the name to reflect what I actually believe - how I see my role as an SLP, how I approach sessions, and what really matters to me in this work. A few things I kept coming back to:
Therapy should be fun. Sessions should be spent talking about the things a kid actually loves! If there's no engagement or motivation, why would anyone want to communicate?! We all communicate more when we get to share about the things we love. That shouldn't be any different for an AAC user.
AAC deserves dedicated focus. I love being a school SLP, but the job is generalist by nature. Over the last few years I realized how much I wanted to go deep on AAC - really learn it, become an expert in it, and spend most of my week here.
Training others matters. I've always been drawn to coaching and mentorship. When I covered as my district's assistive technology specialist, I quickly noticed that my favorite part of the job was helping other adults feel confident with AAC. Because implementing AAC well relies on more than the AAC user understanding it. Everyone around the kid needs to understand it too.
That's how I landed on Say Their Way. The name is a reminder - for me and for everyone around an AAC user - that our job isn't only to teach a kid to use AAC. It's to learn AAC ourselves. To pick up their device, do the work, make it fun, and communicate the way we're asking them to. To say things their way.
When we do that, we show an AAC user a lot of important things at once:
That AAC is a valid form of communication. When we have the device out and we're modeling on it, we show that it belongs - in the home, in the classroom, at the dinner table, in the car.
That AAC is for more than requesting. Many parents or teachers will ask “why does my kid/student just use the device to make requests?” In those moments, I often respond by asking “has anyone showed them how to use it for anything else?” An AAC user might not realize that the AAC device can be used for more than requesting because nobody modeled that it could be. When we pick up the device and model all the other reasons people communicate - joking, wondering, complaining, connecting - we're showing our kid that their device is for all of that too.
That having a robust vocabulary matters. Sometimes a parent or teacher will tell me, "the kid/student doesn’t use AAC to say much," and when I look at the device, half the important words have been deleted or hidden. When a parent or teacher tries to say something specific on that same device and can't, things click and they understand so much faster why access to a robust vocabulary matters. Once we have a robust vocabulary, we can model specific vocabulary - showing kids that being detailed in their expression allows them to better advocate for themselves.
That AAC matters everywhere, not just in speech. When only the SLP is fluent on the device, a kid might learn that AAC only matters during speech. When parents, teachers, siblings, and other providers are all in it too, a kid sees their voice valued at breakfast, at recess, in the car, on the way to bed. Their communication success doesn't hinge on one adult being in the room. It's part of everyday life.
The name “Say Their Way” is the shortest way to say everything I believe about AAC! I really believe that when the adults around a kid learn to say things their way, the kid gets to say more. More things, to more people, in more moments of their day.
If you'd like to learn more about how I work with families, you can read about my services or connect here.
This blog provides general educational information related to speech and language development and augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Content reflects a combination of cited resources, clinical experience, and professional expertise. It is not intended as medical or therapeutic advice and does not replace a comprehensive evaluation by a licensed speech-language pathologist or other qualified professional. Reading this content does not establish a provider–client relationship. Any external organizations or programs mentioned are shared as informational resources only and do not constitute an endorsement or recommendation.