About AAC
You may have seen someone write in a notebook to answer a question or use gestures to communicate. Maybe you have seen someone point to pictures or push buttons on a computer that speaks for them. These are all forms of alternative augmentative communication, or AAC.
AAC includes all the ways we share our ideas and feelings without talking. Everyone uses forms of AAC every day: when you use facial expressions or gestures instead of talking or when you write a note and pass it to a friend or coworker. It may be surprising how often we communicate without talking.
People with severe speech or language problems may need AAC to help them communicate. Some may use it all the time whereas others may say some words but use AAC for longer sentences or with people they don’t know well. AAC can help in school, at work, and when talking with friends and family.
Types of AAC
There are two main types of AAC—unaided systems and aided systems. People who need AAC to communicate may use one or both types, in fact most people who use AAC use a combination of AAC types:
- Unaided Systems: You do not need anything but your own body to use unaided systems. These include gestures, body language, facial expressions, and some sign vocabulary.
- Aided Systems: An aided system uses some sort of tool or device. There are two types of aided systems—basic and high-tech.
- A pen and paper is a basic aided system as is pointing to letters, words, or pictures on a board.
- Touching letters or pictures on a computer screen that speaks for you is a high-tech aided system. Some speech-generating devices, or SGDs, can also speak in different languages.
Bright Skies Therapy Center utilizes AAC methods that include: visual schedules, picture symbols, communication boards, single button switches, as well as Speech Generating devices and apps.
Contact us today to schedule a visit and see if AAC may be beneficial for your child.
For more information on AAC, please visit asha.org.