3 Common Myths About AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) Busted

Just because I can’t talk, doesn’t mean I have nothing to say!

Speech Pathologist Renee from My Diffability Australia - a store dedicated to providing therapy tools and resources for people with different abilities has produced this guest post to help you learn more about how My Communication Book supports children to develop their communication skills.

What is AAC and who does it help?

AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. It is a communication support that utilises alternative systems including things like gestures and signing right through to picture-based communication books like My Communication Book, and even electronic speech-generative devices. 

AAC can be used to augment speech (in other words, it can be used alongside speech as a bit of a boost when speech alone isn’t getting the message across). It can also be used as an alternative to speech, in the case where someone hasn’t yet started to speak, or perhaps has fluctuating speech skills such as in the case of selective or situational mutism.

AAC can be helpful for a really broad range of users including:

• Children with speech and language delays and disorders
• Children and adults with disabilities
• Neurodiverse kids and adults (including autism)
• People who have had brain injuries
• People with selective or situational mutism
• Doesn’t AAC slow down or stop kids from talking? They might get lazy and not try to talk anymore!

This is a common misconception and concern for parents and caregivers when it comes to talking about using AAC. The good news is that this is a myth. In fact, research often shows the opposite effect; kids who are exposed to AAC show improvements in speech and language skills (not to mention social communication). The fact is, if a child has the ability and skills to develop speech, they will. They will always use the quickest, simplest and most effective method that they can in order to get their message across. In the meantime, AAC can be used to support them to communicate, reducing frustration for both the child and their communication partners.

He already talks. He doesn’t need AAC

It can understandably be very confusing for parents when AAC is suggested for their child, when they are already talking. It might raise concerns for them that using AAC might set them back, or stop them from developing their speech further. AAC might be suggested for children who are talking for lots of reasons. It might be that the child’s speech is really hard to understand, so having something to augment their speech will help them get their message across more effectively. It might be that the child doesn’t yet have a strong enough vocabulary of spoken words to be able to communicate everything they want to. For example, they might be able to ask for a cookie, but they can’t talk to you about what they did on the weekend or tell you that they have a sore tummy. In some cases, children may be very verbal, but their skills fluctuate. For example, they might speak a lot at home, but not at school. In this case using AAC might be easier for them in certain settings, as a ‘back up’ system. 

Using AAC During “Communication Time” or Speech Therapy Sessions is enough

AAC might be introduced initially during therapy sessions or classes, however if a child is going to learn how to use a system in everyday life, they need to practice using it in everyday life. Think of this way; if you only ever spoke to your baby during “communication time” (say one hour a week) and that was all the spoken language they were exposed to, do you think they would develop speech at the same rate as a child who is spoken to all day every day? It makes sense, right? Input needs to match output. That is, a child needs to be shown how to use their AAC system and have practice using it for real communication purposes if they are going to learn how to use it effectively.

If you have any other questions about My Communication Book, check out our How To Use Guide or pop over to My Diffability Australia and see how they might be able to help.