Let’s Talk about AAC!
Click the button on the right to play an audio recording of this blog post. ~4.5 minutes in length.
AAC device. High-tech. Low-tech. Core vocabulary. Fringe vocabulary. Durable medical equipment. Dedicated device. Blah blah blah.
Overwhelmed yet?!
Understanding the ins-and-outs of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) can certainly be overwhelming. I’m going to break it down for you here and see if I can offer a little insight.
This is a low-tech AAC board from LAMP Words for Life.
What is AAC?
AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. This includes a variety of things including high-tech voice output devices, otherwise known as electronics that talk. It also includes more low-tech options like paper boards that add visual supports for communicating. Under AAC, we also have things like sign language, gestures, writing, body language, and much more.
When do we use AAC?
A speech therapist will often utilize AAC for children and adults who are having a tough time with spoken language and present with use of very limited spoken language. For children that are non-speaking, an SLP might use a low-tech board for pointing to items that the child wants to talk about. They might also use a voice-output system to further provide robust opportunities for that child to communicate.
Alternatively, sometimes children have a lot to say but can be very difficult to understand, like in the case of Apraxia of Speech. In these cases, a speech therapist might utilize AAC to help a child who is difficult to understand be more readily able to communicate.
This is an example from PRC-Saltillo of a high-tech, voice output device. Photo credit: PRC Saltillo.
Myths about AAC:
Y’all, there are a LOT of myths about AAC. Let’s tackle the big guys.
A child must be able to do X, Y, or Z before we can implement AAC.
Absolutely FALSE. There are no pre-requisites to utilizing AAC other than breathing.Using AAC will make my child “lazy” and not want to talk.
Absolutely FALSE! If you can hear me SCREAMING, it’s because I am! There’s no evidence to support that AAC will prevent a child from talking. In my clinical experience, I’ve often seen children have an increase in their vocalizations after implementation of a voice-output AAC.Only non-speaking people use AAC.
WRONG. As I mentioned earlier, sometimes we can use AAC to supplement what a person is verbally communicating, to support them if that verbal communication is difficult to understand, inconsistently available because of a degenerative disease, and much more.
Here we used a client’s AAC device while making homemade play-dough. We were able to comment on how it felt (hot/cold), find items that we needed (spoon, bowl), and much more.
What are your favorite things to teach with AAC?
Oh-my-god, I’m so glad you asked! Let me tell you!
Obviously, we start with situations that are so highly motivating. You want to request to go outside? Let’s talk about it! But AAC devices are NOT just for communicating requests.
Let’s comment! Especially about things that are funny. My favorite session with an AAC user once occurred when he showed up to speech after sucking down a milkshake in the car. He burped (on purpose) for the entirety of our 30-minute session. That’s impressive, right? I thought so! We spent the entire session talking about “Excuse me”, “yuck”, “whoa”. It was one of the most fun sessions I’ve ever had.
Asking questions! I was just playing Zingo with an AAC user the other day and she had one piece left on her Zingo board. We talked about “where is it?!”. Every single time she took her turn and got all sorts of pictures in Zingo except the one she needed, we would go make the phrase “where is it?” and laugh hysterically!
Pain, discomfort, personal care needs! So often parents want to know where their children are uncomfortable or not feeling well. How powerful is it to be able to tell someone that? This can and should be something that we prioritize for our AAC users, especially individuals with medically complex backgrounds.
Alright, I could go on and on about this! But if you’re curious if implementing AAC is the right choice for your child, I recommend consulting with a speech language pathologist. Although I love the eagerness of other disciplines to attempt to navigate these decisions, take note that a speech language pathologist is truly the most well versed in evaluating, implementing, and training individuals on the use of both high-tech, low-tech, and no-tech AAC options.
Remember: You can always schedule a no-obligation, free 30-minute consult directly on my website. I’m happy to be a resource for you as you navigate next steps for your child who may benefit from this type of support.
