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About AAC

What is Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC)?

Augmentative & Alternative Communication (AAC) is defined formally as "...an area of clinical practice that attempts to compensate (either temporarily or permanently) for the impairment and disability patterns of individuals with severe communication disorders..." (ASHA, 1989, pg. 107).

In other words, AAC is the use of alternative equipment or strategies to communicate when speech and/or writing do not meet an individual's communication needs.

Who benefits from AAC?

Throughout the United States, there are well over two million individuals with severe communication impairments who must use alternative strategies for speech and/or writing (Beukelman & Mirenda, 1998). They include children with congenital disorders (e.g. cerebral palsy, autism, muscular dystrophy) or those who have suffered a traumatic brain or spinal cord injury or acute disease (e.g. meningitis). AAC users may be adults with an acquired disease (e.g. Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, Parkinsonism) such as Stephen Hawking, the renowned physicist. Other AAC users may be adults who have suffered traumatic injuries, (e.g. brain injury, spinal cord injury or stroke) or lived their entire lives with a congenital condition (e.g. cerebral palsy). What is similar among this diverse population is their reliance on AAC equipment and strategies to meet their communication needs.

Where can I get more basic information about AAC?

For introductory information, here are a few web sites with a basic overview of AAC:

American Speech-Language Hearing Association:
     ASHA's Introduction to AAC]

Augmentative & Alternative Communication Connecting Young Kids (YAACK):
       YAACK's Introduction to AAC]

Crippled Children's Association of South Australia:
     Augmentative and Alternative Communication

Then check out these more elaborate resources: AAC Web Sites