Goodnites creates AAC symbols so non-verbal autistic kids can talk about bedwetting

Bedwetting is common — it affects 1 in 6 children, and autistic children are affected more often, according to a study in the Pediatric Journal of Urology. For millions of non-verbal and minimally-verbal autistic children, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) apps are their voice — pictures, symbols and speech-generating devices they tap to express needs and feelings. Yet when the night went wrong, the one experience they most needed to communicate, no AAC vocabulary in the world had the words for it.

On World Autism Awareness Day 2026 (April 2), Goodnites — Kimberly-Clark's nighttime underwear brand — launched the Language of Bedwetting, the first complete AAC system for this gap, developed with speech-language pathologists, autism advocates, parents and communication experts. It is more than 100 symbols spanning pronouns, verbs, adjectives, nouns and phrases, free and AAC-app compatible, importable into existing AAC setups, offered in four skin tones plus a printable coreboard. A short documentary by Sara Nesson, told through real families, carried the human case.

The bet was that a durable tool would outperform a message. Because the vocabulary plugs into the AAC systems children already use, adoption had no learning curve — no new app to install, no behavior change demanded of families. The campaign reframed Goodnites from a product brand into one that stands for being understood, and the resource remained live after the launch moment as a practical aid for families, schools and therapy sessions.