By Cheyenne Yiu MS, CF-SLP
October is AAC Awareness Month! AAC stands for Alternative and Augmentative Communication. It includes any form of communication other than spoken language, including writing, sign language, pictures, gestures, facial expressions, communication boards (also called core boards), and speech-generating devices such as an iPad.
We all use AAC on a daily basis to communicate with others, whether we’re texting, sending emails, smiling at others, waving, or pointing to pictures on a menu. Some people struggle to communicate verbally and may use some form of AAC as their primary mode of communication. By using alternative forms of communication, individuals who have difficulty speaking can still express their thoughts, needs, and interests.
When we introduce AAC to someone, it is extremely important for us to interact with them using their AAC so that we can show them how it can be used to communicate. This process is called “modeling.” For example, if your child is communicating learning sign language, you can model different signs even while speaking aloud so that your child can expand their vocabulary. This goes for dedicated AAC devices as well: if your child is using an AAC app on an iPad to communicate, you should also model on that same app while you talk so that you can help your child learn the system and associate more words with their meanings.
The main goal of introducing and incorporating AAC is to give your child a way to communicate reliably and effectively! If you think your child can benefit from AAC, please reach out to their speech therapist to learn more.
If your child is already using AAC, here are three easy tips to keep in mind as you incorporate AAC into your daily routine!
- Think about your child’s daily routine and pinpoint some events that take place every day. Some examples are bathing/showing, brushing their teeth, mealtimes, getting dressed, and bedtime reading. Choose a few words that you can model in those daily activities. For example, during mealtimes, you can model signs for “more,” “eat,” and “help,” or point to “want,” “like,” and “open” on a core board.
- Have fun!!! We want communication to be interesting and engaging to our kids, so make sure to keep AAC fun! You can model during play time, singing, movies, and other activities of interest. Let your child choose the activity and follow along by modeling single words and short phrases related to the activity.
- Repeat, repeat, repeat. Children learn through lots and lots of repetition, so make sure that you are modeling the same words over and over. You can also pair activities with verbal routines that you can repeat with consistent models. For example, you can model “go” on their AAC device every time they slide down a slide.
