AAC Therapy

We match the system to the person. An AAC evaluation looks at language understanding, fine motor and access skills, vision, attention, and where the person needs to communicate most. Some people do best with a speech-generating device, others with a tablet app, a picture exchange system, or a low-tech communication board for the pool or the car.

Before settling on anything, your speech-language pathologist will trial a few options during sessions and watch which one your loved one uses most easily. Many people end up with more than one system, such as a primary device plus a paper backup that works when the battery runs low.

There are no prerequisites for AAC. Children do not need to reach a certain cognitive level, match pictures, or point accurately before they can begin. Toddlers can learn simple AAC the same way they learn spoken language, by watching the adults around them use it.

Starting early gives children a way to communicate during the years when language grows fastest. If your child is not yet talking, is hard to understand, or communicates mostly by crying or pulling you by the hand, it is a good time to ask about an AAC evaluation at our Friendswood speech clinic.

Yes. Adults who lose speech after a stroke, brain injury, or a progressive condition like ALS, Parkinson's disease, or multiple sclerosis can use AAC to keep communicating with family, doctors, and friends.

For progressive conditions, we often recommend starting early so the person can learn a system while speech is still available, and look into voice banking, which saves recordings of their own voice for future use. Your speech-language pathologist will also train spouses and caregivers so communication stays smooth at home. Call (346) 474-4626, extension 2, to schedule an AAC evaluation.