Alternative and Augmentative Communication

What is Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC)?

Communication difficulties can affect people of all ages. People with communication difficulties may struggle to understand words they hear, have difficulties in knowing how to talk to others or find it difficult to use understandable speech.

AAC refers to the various methods we can use to ‘add-on’ to our speech or in place of speech to help you to get your message across.

These various methods are referred to as a ‘communication toolkit’. Within our toolkits we have different methods of communication we can use depending on the situation and who we are communicating with. This toolkit may include:

our bodies – using signing (Makaton) or facial expressions to communicate
objects of reference – having a specific object to refer to a particular activity, event, person or item
paper-based solutions – such as photos, symbols or text-based tools presented in communication books and other similar ways
battery powered solutions – such as switches and push button devices
powered solutions – such as computers and tablets that speak for you.

Depending on your condition, you may need to access these in different ways. Some solutions will use touching pictures or screens, pointing with fingers or with eyes, or using other parts of the body to operate switches or indicate what you want to say.

What does the Speech and Language Therapy AAC service do?

The AAC service works in ‘episodes of care’ to meet the communication needs of individuals referred to the service.

The first episode of care is generally an assessment which involves working with you to look at all the different ways we can support your communication. The assessment may include:

Finding out more about the ways in which you currently communicate, the reasons you have to communicate and the opportunities you have for communicating. This helps us build a picture to determine where you may need AAC in your life and what tools may be best suited for different situations.
Some direct assessment may be involved to look at understanding of symbols and pictures, ways of accessing communication systems.
Working with other people that support you to make sure that your needs are met appropriately. This may include physiotherapy, occupational therapy, support staff or staff in schools for example.
trialing different equipment to see what works for you.

The local AAC service may identify that your needs would be more appropriately met by the specialised AAC service (Barnsley Assistive Technology). The specialised service works with people with more complex language and access needs. If this is the case we will discuss this with you, make a referral and will liaise with the specialised service around your assessment and care.

After assessment

If the decision is made that powered communication aids are provided, the AAC service will provide a second ‘episode of care’ to develop your skills and provide training on ways to support, as well as technical training. Some of this may involve training from the supplier.