Think about those times when a tired and overwhelmed toddler can’t find the words to say what they need – speech just flies out the window. Now, imagine that’s a day-to-day challenge for many children with autism, who may struggle to get their point across. This is where Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) comes in. Many children with speech-related difficulties and disabilities benefit greatly from this accommodation.
Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) is a collection of strategies involving various systems designed to support or replace speech for those who find verbal communication challenging. You can find an array of tools that fall under this category, ranging from basic picture boards to complex electronic devices. The primary goal of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is to help children communicate more effectively, improving their quality of life.
Types of AAC Systems
AAC strategies are incredibly impactful for children with vocal speech difficulties, including those with autism. Various AAC forms are used to help with communication and sometimes even encourage the development of vocal speech.
There are two main categories of AAC: aided and unaided. Aided AAC systems use external tools or devices (either low-tech or high-tech, which we will cover below). Unaided AAC systems rely solely on the individual’s body, like gestures or sign language, requiring no external tools.
Aided AAC (Low-tech)
The defining characteristics of low-tech AAC systems are their straightforward design and absence of electrical features. Some examples are:
Picture Cards/PECS: These cards have pictures that represent different objects, actions, or ideas. People use them to express their needs, wants, or feelings. This method works well for those who learn better visually or have difficulty with motor skills, which often makes using more complicated systems challenging. These are highly versatile and can be used in various ways, like requesting items, clarifying a step within an activity, representing a series of steps, or expressing a simple statement. People with developmental disabilities and autism can benefit from using systems like PECS because they are accessible, simple, and easy to use.
Communication Boards with Symbols: These boards display a variety of symbols or pictures. Users communicate by pointing to these symbols directly or using a pointer. The boards can be customized to include symbols most relevant to the user’s daily life and arranged to make it easy for them to use. This way, communication becomes more meaningful and context-specific.
Printed Word Charts: Word charts can be a useful means of communication for those who can read. These charts contain words or phrases that the user can point to in order to convey their message.
Low-tech AAC systems are cheaper and easier to use than high-tech ones. They’re portable, don’t need charging or much upkeep, and are durable. While they lack the dynamic features of high-tech systems, like voice output or easy content changes, they’re still valuable for many with speech and language issues, offering affordable and straightforward communication options.
Aided AAC (High-tech)
High-tech AAC systems use advanced electronic technology to help people with speech difficulties communicate. These systems often have complex features, like the ability to speak out loud for the user, and can be highly customized to meet the user’s needs.
Most high-tech AAC systems are based on the Speech-Generating Device (SGD). Speech Generating Devices (SGDs) are electronic tools that turn non-vocal actions, like pressing buttons, touching screens, or using switches, into spoken words. They change inputs from pictures or text into spoken language, which lets people with speech impairments talk verbally with others.
Significant benefits of SGDs include their ability to hold a large vocabulary bank of words, phrases, and symbols. This lets users express everything from simple needs to complex thoughts and ideas. Plus, many SGDs let users customize the voice so they can pick one that best matches their age, gender, or personal style.
Recently, tablets and smartphones have changed the game in high-tech AAC by turning into SGDs with the help of special communication apps. This development, highlighted in a study by Moore and Brunner (2023), shows how SGDs have evolved from big, standalone units to sleek, versatile apps that you can use on standard devices like tablets and smartphones.
These everyday devices have less stigma than traditional SGDs and can be used for educational purposes, entertainment, and internet browsing. This change has made SGDs more accessible to more people and offers a more exciting and easier-to-use tool for those with communication challenges.
Unaided AAC Systems
Unaided AAC systems do not require any external equipment, making them available anytime and cost-free. They can be used in situations where aided systems are not accessible or in environments where their use is impractical. Some examples are:
Hand Signs or Sign Language
Sign language is a complete language system with its own grammar and structure, different from spoken languages. It’s visual and uses hand shapes, movements, and facial expressions to express many meanings. Sign language can communicate everything from simple needs to complex ideas and emotions.
Facial expressions often accompany other ways of communicating. They give extra context and emotional depth to what someone is trying to say. Facial expressions help individuals who have trouble speaking express their needs and emotions, especially when they can’t use other forms of communication.
Unaided AAC forms like sign language and gestures can strongly support early communication skills, especially in young children or the beginning stages of communication intervention. These types of AAC are incredibly adaptable and can help people with various communicative difficulties.
AAC Systems and ABA Therapy: The Benefits
Among other advantages, ABA therapy helps provide individuals with functional communication skills to apply to daily life. AAC’s integration into ABA therapy should focus on developing a complete set of communication skills that will directly support each person’s needs, abilities, and life context. Pairing the use of AAC devices with ABA methods has important effects on several aspects of speech and language development:
Skill Development
Clinicians and Speech/Language Pathologists (SLPs) can help people develop communication skills using AAC methods with ABA therapy. ABA therapists work with clients to teach them how to use AAC systems properly through training, which promotes meaningful relationships and further improves communication ability. In this approach, therapists can combine AAC device use training with low-tech strategies, building each person’s vocabulary and ability to construct sentences or convey ideas. This method focuses on teaching new words and allows individuals to form complex and meaningful sentences.
Generalization
Moore and Brunner’s (2023) results have illuminated positive outcomes for a common challenge faced by individuals with autism: the difficulty in generalizing knowledge from one situation to another, affecting their ability to use skills learned in different settings. This struggle stems from how autism impacts perception and information processing, making it challenging to apply skills learned in structured therapy to unpredictable environments like home or school.
However, applying AAC training through ABA therapy methods ensures that the communication skills learned are not limited to just one environment. This allows individuals to use their AAC systems in many other real-life situations, fostering greater independence.
Data Collection
Keeping detailed behavior records is central to any well-developed ABA therapy program. Clinicians use this information to adjust the AAC system and how they teach based on what each person needs as they grow. The main goal is to make the AAC work best for how each person learns. Part of this involves looking at which parts of AAC help the most, like seeing how often someone uses a particular button on a device or how someone responds to a question. Therapists also watch for changes in how the person behaves and communicates over a period, like using a more extensive variety of words or being able to maintain communication in a back-and-forth conversation.
Encouraging Social Interaction
Using AAC strategies in ABA therapy helps improve how those with autism interact with others, building skills to make it easier for them to be a part of social situations. Social skills, like comprehension, keeping up a conversation, and picking up on social hints, can be challenging for those with autism.
AAC gives them ways to express themselves, whether it’s through devices that speak for them or boards with pictures, while ABA teaches social skills, like role-playing or learning about body language. These vital social skills help with making friends, as they can use these tools to join class talks or share feelings with buddies. The role of AAC in opening social opportunities and building the social skills needed to be part of a community and have real connections is a closer step to inclusivity for those with special needs.
AAC methods are not a “one size fits all” solution. Each person has different communication needs and abilities, affected by factors like cognitive and motor skills, sensory preferences, and environment. Choosing the right AAC system requires focusing on each personal profile to ensure its functionality and relevancy to everyone’s communication goals, environmental needs, and personal preferences.
While low-tech options are accessible and budget-friendly, they may not have the advanced capabilities of high-tech systems, which offer greater flexibility and voice output. The beauty of AAC lies in its ability to dismantle communication barriers, allowing children to participate meaningfully in their environment, profoundly enriching their lives. By opening new avenues for connection and growth, AAC systems can significantly impact their personal development.
What is AAC? (Augmentative Alternative Communication)
Think about those times when a tired and overwhelmed toddler can’t find the words to say what they need – speech just flies out the window. Now, imagine that’s a day-to-day challenge for many children with autism, who may struggle to get their point across. This is where Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) comes in. Many children with speech-related difficulties and disabilities benefit greatly from this accommodation.
Augmentative Alternative Communication (AAC) is a collection of strategies involving various systems designed to support or replace speech for those who find verbal communication challenging. You can find an array of tools that fall under this category, ranging from basic picture boards to complex electronic devices. The primary goal of augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is to help children communicate more effectively, improving their quality of life.
Types of AAC Systems
AAC strategies are incredibly impactful for children with vocal speech difficulties, including those with autism. Various AAC forms are used to help with communication and sometimes even encourage the development of vocal speech.
There are two main categories of AAC: aided and unaided. Aided AAC systems use external tools or devices (either low-tech or high-tech, which we will cover below). Unaided AAC systems rely solely on the individual’s body, like gestures or sign language, requiring no external tools.
Aided AAC (Low-tech)
The defining characteristics of low-tech AAC systems are their straightforward design and absence of electrical features. Some examples are:
Low-tech AAC systems are cheaper and easier to use than high-tech ones. They’re portable, don’t need charging or much upkeep, and are durable. While they lack the dynamic features of high-tech systems, like voice output or easy content changes, they’re still valuable for many with speech and language issues, offering affordable and straightforward communication options.
Aided AAC (High-tech)
High-tech AAC systems use advanced electronic technology to help people with speech difficulties communicate. These systems often have complex features, like the ability to speak out loud for the user, and can be highly customized to meet the user’s needs.
Most high-tech AAC systems are based on the Speech-Generating Device (SGD). Speech Generating Devices (SGDs) are electronic tools that turn non-vocal actions, like pressing buttons, touching screens, or using switches, into spoken words. They change inputs from pictures or text into spoken language, which lets people with speech impairments talk verbally with others.
Significant benefits of SGDs include their ability to hold a large vocabulary bank of words, phrases, and symbols. This lets users express everything from simple needs to complex thoughts and ideas. Plus, many SGDs let users customize the voice so they can pick one that best matches their age, gender, or personal style.
Recently, tablets and smartphones have changed the game in high-tech AAC by turning into SGDs with the help of special communication apps. This development, highlighted in a study by Moore and Brunner (2023), shows how SGDs have evolved from big, standalone units to sleek, versatile apps that you can use on standard devices like tablets and smartphones.
These everyday devices have less stigma than traditional SGDs and can be used for educational purposes, entertainment, and internet browsing. This change has made SGDs more accessible to more people and offers a more exciting and easier-to-use tool for those with communication challenges.
Unaided AAC Systems
Unaided AAC systems do not require any external equipment, making them available anytime and cost-free. They can be used in situations where aided systems are not accessible or in environments where their use is impractical. Some examples are:
Sign language is a complete language system with its own grammar and structure, different from spoken languages. It’s visual and uses hand shapes, movements, and facial expressions to express many meanings. Sign language can communicate everything from simple needs to complex ideas and emotions.
Gestures are a fundamental part of communicating, involving simple actions like nodding, pointing, or shrugging. They range from basic to complex and are often used with other AAC methods or spoken language to help with understanding and expression. Gestures are intuitive, making them handy, especially for beginners in language or in situations where words are hard to use.
Facial expressions often accompany other ways of communicating. They give extra context and emotional depth to what someone is trying to say. Facial expressions help individuals who have trouble speaking express their needs and emotions, especially when they can’t use other forms of communication.
Unaided AAC forms like sign language and gestures can strongly support early communication skills, especially in young children or the beginning stages of communication intervention. These types of AAC are incredibly adaptable and can help people with various communicative difficulties.
AAC Systems and ABA Therapy: The Benefits
Among other advantages, ABA therapy helps provide individuals with functional communication skills to apply to daily life. AAC’s integration into ABA therapy should focus on developing a complete set of communication skills that will directly support each person’s needs, abilities, and life context. Pairing the use of AAC devices with ABA methods has important effects on several aspects of speech and language development:
Clinicians and Speech/Language Pathologists (SLPs) can help people develop communication skills using AAC methods with ABA therapy. ABA therapists work with clients to teach them how to use AAC systems properly through training, which promotes meaningful relationships and further improves communication ability. In this approach, therapists can combine AAC device use training with low-tech strategies, building each person’s vocabulary and ability to construct sentences or convey ideas. This method focuses on teaching new words and allows individuals to form complex and meaningful sentences.
Moore and Brunner’s (2023) results have illuminated positive outcomes for a common challenge faced by individuals with autism: the difficulty in generalizing knowledge from one situation to another, affecting their ability to use skills learned in different settings. This struggle stems from how autism impacts perception and information processing, making it challenging to apply skills learned in structured therapy to unpredictable environments like home or school.
However, applying AAC training through ABA therapy methods ensures that the communication skills learned are not limited to just one environment. This allows individuals to use their AAC systems in many other real-life situations, fostering greater independence.
Keeping detailed behavior records is central to any well-developed ABA therapy program. Clinicians use this information to adjust the AAC system and how they teach based on what each person needs as they grow. The main goal is to make the AAC work best for how each person learns. Part of this involves looking at which parts of AAC help the most, like seeing how often someone uses a particular button on a device or how someone responds to a question. Therapists also watch for changes in how the person behaves and communicates over a period, like using a more extensive variety of words or being able to maintain communication in a back-and-forth conversation.
Using AAC strategies in ABA therapy helps improve how those with autism interact with others, building skills to make it easier for them to be a part of social situations. Social skills, like comprehension, keeping up a conversation, and picking up on social hints, can be challenging for those with autism.
AAC gives them ways to express themselves, whether it’s through devices that speak for them or boards with pictures, while ABA teaches social skills, like role-playing or learning about body language. These vital social skills help with making friends, as they can use these tools to join class talks or share feelings with buddies. The role of AAC in opening social opportunities and building the social skills needed to be part of a community and have real connections is a closer step to inclusivity for those with special needs.
AAC methods are not a “one size fits all” solution. Each person has different communication needs and abilities, affected by factors like cognitive and motor skills, sensory preferences, and environment. Choosing the right AAC system requires focusing on each personal profile to ensure its functionality and relevancy to everyone’s communication goals, environmental needs, and personal preferences.
While low-tech options are accessible and budget-friendly, they may not have the advanced capabilities of high-tech systems, which offer greater flexibility and voice output. The beauty of AAC lies in its ability to dismantle communication barriers, allowing children to participate meaningfully in their environment, profoundly enriching their lives. By opening new avenues for connection and growth, AAC systems can significantly impact their personal development.
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