Defining AAC
In this section you are going to define AAC and related terms in more detail. Take time to explain what AAC is, what it includes and how it can be integrated with other assistive technology. This is an important consideration when creating an AAC policy. Educational settings are expected to identify the need for AAC and support the implementation of its use. It is likely that this will be done under the guidance of the learners’ Speech and Language Therapist.
Discussion Point!
Should we include photos of pupils to illustrate points?
All the schools involved in creation of this guide stated that embedded pictures and images were helpful.
Photos of your learners using different forms of AAC can be helpful to family, carers and external agencies who are new to AAC as it is unlikely that they have ever seen the items before or have seen them but do not know what they are called. If you decide to include photos, it can be useful to audit your existing image library and decide if there are more illustrations you need to capture. It is also essential to gain parental consent before publishing images of learners in your AAC policy.
Example: Defining AAC
Below are some examples of definitions of AAC and elements that it includes which you may wish to add to your policy.
AAC Definition
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) refers to any means by which an individual can supplement or replace spoken communication. Communication may range from any movement or behaviour that is observed and interpreted by another person as meaningful, to the use of a code agreed upon between people where items have specific meanings, i.e. a language. We all use some form of augmentative communication in our daily life, for example, gesture (waving goodbye) and graphic symbols (washing label symbols, road signs).
AAC can be divided into two categories; unaided and aided communication:
Unaided communication
Unaided communication can be described as modes of communication that use only the body. These include:
Body language, eye pointing, facial expression, natural gesture, use of vocalisation/intonation, sensory stimulation
Sign languages (eg British Sign Language, American Sign Language)
Signing systems (eg Paget-Gorman Signed Speech, finger spelling)
Signed vocabularies (eg Sign Supported English, Makaton vocabulary, Signalong)
Verbal/gestural strategies used to compensate for poor speech (eg cued articulation, cued speech)
Aided communication
Aided communication can be described as modes of communication that require equipment in addition to the communicator’s body. These include:
Objects or photographs, pictures, graphic symbols eg: Widgit and Picture Communication Symbols and words, which may be organised into paper-based charts or books.
Communication aids which produce speech and/or text, more commonly called VOCAs (Voice Output Communication Aids). VOCAs are dedicated hardware units or computers, tablets or iPads with communication software / apps. They may produce a digitised voice (from voice recordings) or a synthesised voice.
Access Methods
Aided communication systems require a reliable method of access:
Direct access may include:
Pointing to items
Eye pointing
Use of a keyboard
Use of an infra-red or light pointer
Indirect access may include:
Use of scanning with an input device such as a switch
Use of a pointer control system such as a joystick or tracker ball
Use of listener-mediated scanning (in which the communication partner assists the user to make vocabulary selections)
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