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Augmentative and Alternative Communication

AAC

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What is AAC?

Alternative Communication refers to using something to communicate other than speech.

Augmentative Communication refers to using something to support or add to someone’s speech.

AAC can be low-tech (pictures/symbols, picture board), mid-tech (single message voice output devices e.g. Big Mac, static device voice output devices e.g. GoTalk), or high-tech (iPad with TouchChat, Tobii Dynavox)

Most of our students use low-tech or high-tech AAC

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Reasons to Communicate

We use communication for a variety of functions including:

  • social interaction (greeting, negotiating, complimenting)
  • getting and giving information (commenting, asking questions, expressing feelings)
  • expressing wants and needs (making choices, protesting, requesting)
  • strategies to be better understood (clarifying, describing, getting attention)

Requesting is only a small part of what we use communication for, yet it tends to be the primary focus of AAC for students in classrooms

Think about how many times a day you request things vs. how many times you use other functions….

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Words We Use to Communicate

Why requesting? Vocabulary choice! Requesting tends to be the most highly taught and used function when students learn AAC because most communication boards are created with objects (nouns), limiting the amount of communicative functions that can occur.

The words we use most frequently are called core words. Core words account for up to 80% of the words we use daily. These core words tend to be adjectives, pronouns, verbs, and prepositions.

Fringe vocabulary is specific vocabulary relevant to our environment. So if we were in the kitchen, some vocabulary would be oven, refrigerator, cook, sink, bake, etc.

Teaching core vocabulary allows students to communicate a variety of functions in multiple environments. Choosing core vocabulary: Activity-Based Approach and Word of the Month (Week)

Fringe vocabulary can also be included for more robust communication.

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How to teach AAC

AAC needs to be TAUGHT directly to students in addition to it being in their environment. It’s like learning a new language. Kids need learn it directly, but they also need to see it and hear it around them.

We do this by MODELING, MODELING, MODELING, and then MODELING some more!

Tips for teaching AAC