Talking With Friends Is Just Different

Friendship is a critical component of well-being, offering emotional support, shared experiences, and opportunities for personal growth. This paper explores key differences in communication dynamics between friends and strangers, emphasizing the systemic mismatch between existing AAC design and the relational needs of friendship interactions. The paper discusses innovative approaches to AAC development, such as enhanced personalization, emotional expressiveness, and multimodal communication tools, to foster more meaningful social connections for AAC users. Clinical and research priorities, including participatory design, qualitative methodologies, and longitudinal studies, are outlined to inform future assessment and intervention efforts by speech-language pathologists. This paper advocates for reimagining AAC as a tool that not only facilitates functional communication but also nurtures inclusion, belonging, and friendship.