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      Success is a journey

      Success is a Journey

      Overview

      A beginner’s guide to AAC

      If you are a clinician or other professional new to AAC, welcome! We know that getting started and succeeding with AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) isn’t always straightforward. Rest assured, we’re here with tools and resources to help guide you along this journey.

      What is AAC?

      AAC is any form of communication used in addition to or instead of speech for people with a variety of disabilities. As a result, it is also sometimes referred to as assistive communication. It can consist of no technology, low-tech resources, or high-tech speech devices controlled with just a person’s fingers, eyes, or other body parts. Often, it consists of all three. AAC can be supported with symbols and text, or just text alone.

      What are the key points to remember about AAC?

      • AAC is used by all of us every day – everyone deserves the possibility to communicate.
      • when a person with a communication disability uses AAC, they and their entire family and care circle benefit, as does society at large.
      • there are many myths about AAC, for example, that a person is too young, too old or too impaired to use it.
      • AAC is a team effort in which speech therapists, end-users and their care circle are key players.

      Who benefits most from AAC?

      Anyone with a communication disability can benefit from AAC. People who have difficulty using their voice, their hands, or both, can use AAC to communicate. They can also browse online, connect with others on social media, play games with friends, control their home environment and more.

      There are many conditions, including Rett Syndrome, Down Syndrome, aphasia, spinal cord injury and more, that can benefit from assistive communication. We're going to take a deeper dive into three conditions where AAC has been shown to make a clear impact – ALS, autism and cerebral palsy. But first, we’d like to introduce you to a few people with these conditions who are already successfully using it:

      Meet Alistair – AAC for ALS

      Meet Brock – AAC for autism

      Meet Brad – AAC for cerebral palsy

      AAC as a comprehensive solution

      When recommending and prescribing augmentative and alternative communication aids, it’s important to know that a successful AAC journey is about more than just securing a device. It is about comprehensive solutions that can be personalized to meet specific communication needs. Comprehensive means solutions that include hardware, software, language, funding expertise and support resources. Personalized means having real choices to match the AAC user's wants and needs.

      Whether you are considering AAC for people with ALS, autism, cerebral palsy or any condition that causes a communication disability, we have tools, resources and training to help guide you.

      How can I get an AAC device for my clients?

      We’ve broken down the process into five stages. Regardless of your client’s condition, your AAC journey stages will remain the same. We offer tools and resources to assist you at each stage, tailored to each condition.

      1

      2

      3

      4

      5

      Evaluation

      Evaluating communication needs

      Recommendation

      Recommending the right AAC solution

      Funding

      Assisting with the application for financial coverage

      Set up

      Customizing the AAC solution

      Support

      Using and optimizing the AAC solution

      AAC for ALS, autism and cerebral palsy

      Let’s look at these three conditions, with relevant links to tools and resources at every stage of their AAC journey.

      ALS

      An acquired condition that affects nerve cells in the brain and the spinal cord. Muscle weakness and vocal cord spasm make communication challenging. ALS stands for Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis and is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease.

      Autism

      A congenital condition, often characterized by unique needs in spoken communication and social communication/interactions. Many autistic people have limited speech, inconsistent speech or no speech at all.

      Cerebral palsy

      A congenital condition caused by damage to one or more areas of the brain. Symptoms vary from person to person, but communication disabilities often result from related motor challenges.

      What are the benefits of AAC?

      New research details how people with ALS, autism and cerebral palsy and those around them benefit from assistive communication. The study, entitled Exploring the Benefits of Assistive Communication, shows how high-tech AAC solutions can double quality of life for people with disabilities.