Effective communication is essential in many aspects of life, from safety to personal connections with those around you. For people with a disability, injury or illness, communication isn’t always easy. The good news is that there are plenty of supportive aids that can help people with communication challenges interact with their community.
Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) refers to tools and strategies that can provide assistance to people who have speech or language impairments. AAC devices can be used as a supportive communication tool, or they can replace spoken communication completely for people who need it.
Read on to learn the ins and out of augmentative and alternative communication, including the types of AAC, the benefits they can provide and who they can help. We’ll also discuss how we use them at Ability KC through our assistive technology services to help give every patient the voice they deserve.
The types of augmentative and alternative communication
Augmentative and alternative communication comes in many different forms to help a variety of speech and language impairments. AAC works by determining and incorporating three different components that lead to effective communication from the user:
- Representational set — How words or symbols represent concepts (pictures, words, gestures)
- Means of selection — How the user selects the concepts (pointing, pressing a button)
- Means of transmission — How the message is delivered (synthesized speech, displayed text)
While some types of AAC involve the use of technology, others don’t. It’s important to note that there’s a difference between aided AAC and unaided AAC. Aided AAC refers to tools and strategies that utilize external devices, such as picture boards and applications. The use of assistive technology falls into this category. Unaided AAC focuses on communicating through physical capabilities. While all unaided AAC systems don’t involve external devices, aided AAC can be a combination of tech and nontech approaches.
Unaided AAC:
- Body movements
- Sign language
- Gestures
- Facial expressions
Aided AAC:
- Objects
- Written words
- Speech-generating devices
- Picture-based systems
- Communication boards
- Computer or phone applications
Who can benefit from augmentative and alternative communication (and how)?
AAC can be used in professional, academic and personal settings. While it can be beneficial for anyone who has communication difficulties, it’s usually aimed toward assisting people with disabilities, severe illness or injuries that have affected their ability to effectively communicate verbally. This includes disabilities they were born with, disability acquired from an injury, or neurological differences.
AAC is commonly used for people who:
- Have a traumatic brain injury
- Have a speech or voice disorder
- Have had a stroke
- Have cerebral palsy
- Have multiple sclerosis
There are a variety of benefits that a person with a disability, illness or injury can gain from using augmentative and alternative communication, including:
- Expressing their needs with others (going to the bathroom, being hungry, etc.)
- Sharing their emotions
- Gaining social skills to form connections with others by engaging in discussion
- Reducing the risk of misunderstandings
- Alerting others of urgent issues, such as being in pain or being uncomfortable
How Ability KC uses augmentative and alternative communication
When patients go through the medical rehabilitation process, the experts try to help them in every way they can, from physical and mental health to cognitive functioning and adaptive technology. Communication is essential every step of the way; that’s why we use AAC to our advantage, and to our patients’ advantage, as much as possible.
Many patients who come through our doors have a disability, illness or injury that affects their ability to communicate their needs and wants with us and their families. With the right tools, such as augmentative and alternative communication, we can gain a better sense of the patient’s thoughts, feelings and challenges throughout treatment.
At Ability KC, augmentative and alternative communication is part of our assistive technology services. We can guide patients through how to use the tools and strategies during sessions and help them gain the experience and skills needed to use them in their everyday activities. We’ll help their families integrate AAC into their daily lives.
AAC can play a pivotal role in helping patients engage with the world. They can take control of their autonomy, strengthen their relationships and share their voice, even if it’s not through verbal communication. Everyone deserves to have their voices heard, no matter how it’s delivered.
Ability KC is a designated Comprehensive Outpatient Rehabilitation Facility (CORF) with a Commission on Accreditation of Rehabilitation Facilities (CARF) accreditation. Contact our team today for more information or to schedule an initial appointment.