AAC

Augmentative and Alternative Communication aids are as simple as an alphabet board and as complex as a computer system. Based on an individual’s needs and preferences an evaluation is conducted to determine a “feature match”. As a team, we evaluate various equipment and decide if it has all of the features that you need and prefer. Many insurance programs cover partial or full cost of communication aids. Services to learn how to use the aid is also frequently covered by insurance.

“It is the position of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA) that communication is the essence of human life and that all people have the right to communicate to the fullest extent possible. No individuals should be denied this right, irrespective of the type and/or severity of communication, linguistic, social, cognitive, motor, sensory, perceptual, and/or other disability(ies) they may present.

AAC is best thought of as a system, as opposed to a single entity (Calculator, 2000). An AAC program neither begins nor terminates with the prescription of a communication aid. Instead it involves an ongoing program of decision-making that considers individuals, their methods of communicating, and the effectiveness of that communication with a variety of listeners, as well as environmental variables that foster or impede communication. The specific unaided and aided methods of communication that are associated with this area of practice constitute one small part of the AAC domain, which is composed of four primary components: symbols, aids, strategies, and techniques.

Symbols. A variety of symbol types are available: graphic, auditory, gestural, and textured or tactile.

Aids. The term “aid” refers to a device, whether electronic or nonelectronic, that is used to transmit or receive messages.

Strategies. This term refers to the ways symbols can be conveyed most effectively and efficiently.

Techniques. This fourth component of an AAC system consists of the various ways in which messages can be transmitted.”

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. (2004). Roles and Responsibilities of Speech-Language Pathologists With Respect to Augmentative and Alternative Communication: Technical Report.  Available from www.asha.org/policy.

Link for Calculator:  

Calculator, S. (2000). Augmentative and alternative communication. In Pritchard Dodge, E. (Ed.), The survival guide for school-based speech-language pathologists (pp. 345-366). San Diego: Singular Publishing Group.