Dispelling The Common Myths About AAC

Everyone communicates in their own unique way.

Many people find spoken communication the most efficient and straightforward way to express their needs and desires.

However, that’s not accessible to everyone.

In these instances, alternative and augmentative communication (AAC), make a big difference.

AAC provides people of all ages with a variety of tools and techniques for communication other than speaking.

It has both unaided and aided forms.

Unaided AAC includes techniques which don’t require any additional equipment other than your own body.

Examples of unaided AAC include facial expressions, body language, or sign language.

Conversely, aided AAC techniques use some form of equipment, which can be high tech or low tech.

Regardless of what type of AAC you need, our speech and language therapy clinic in DC can help.

At District Speech, our expert speech therapists have plenty of experience helping clients learn and practice a variety of AAC techniques.

On this week’s speech therapy blog, we’ll share our knowledge surrounding AAC and dispel some of the most common myths about AAC.

Myth: AAC Will Delay Your Child’s Speech Or Language Development?

Many parents worry that teaching their child AAC will discourage their verbal communication skill development.

Unfortunately, this worry contributes to a lot of stigmas surrounding AAC.

But exactly how founded is this worry?

TRUTH: AAC May Help Your Child Develop Speech And Language

At District Speech, we firmly believe that AAC will help, not hinder, your child’s speech development.

AAC encourages speech development in a variety of ways.

AAC frequently helps our clients improve their conversational skills by encouraging them to use longer, complete sentences and helping them build their vocabulary.

Certain AAC tools, such as speech generating devices, can even help your child learn word associations and word modeling.

RELATED ARTICLE: Speech Therapy For Kids

Myth: Your Child Should Only Ever Use One AAC Form

As we mentioned in the introduction to this article, there are many different types of AAC methods.

So you might wonder whether one type of AAC is superior to others.

Thus, our second AAC myth surrounds the thought that your child should only ever use one AAC method at a time.

What do the experts say about this?

TRUTH: There Is No Rule Around How Many AAC Models To Use

Spoken communication is a multi model phenomenon.

This means that effective verbal communication relies on multiple techniques and skills.

For instance, we don’t simply use our words to communicate with others.

We also utilize a variety of additional techniques, including gestures, body language, and facial expressions.

AAC methods are the same.

There is no such thing as a “superior” AAC method.

Some people do better with high tech AAC options whereas others prefer low tech.

It all depends on your child’s unique needs, preferences, and limitations.

Some kids will benefit from a single AAC method, while others may prefer to use several.

Everyone is different.

RELATED ARTICLE: Getting Familiar With AAC For Your Child

Myth: AAC Is Only For People Who Are Nonspeaking

Many nonspeaking individuals utilize AAC for their communication needs.

For instance, AAC is very commonly taught to nonspeaking autistic children and adults.

But that doesn’t mean that only nonspeaking people will benefit from AAC.

In fact, the truth is quite the opposite.

RELATED ARTICLE: Speech Therapy For Kids With Nonspeaking Autism

TRUTH: AAC Can Hep Anyone

AAC can help anyone with communication needs.

At District Speech, many of our clients interested in AAC display some degree of speech production.

For instance, some of our clients can repeat words and phrases but face challenges initiating conversation and forming full sentences.

Others can use spoken language most of the time, but experience challenges doing so during times of stress or overstimulation.

Ultimately, AAC is a great choice for people facing challenges effectively communicating their wants and needs.

Myth: Young Children Can’t Learn AAC – It’s Only For Older Kids

Some types of skills are best taught to children once they reach a certain age.

For instance, you wouldn’t expect your newborn baby to learn how to walk or ride a bicycle.

This line of thinking is often found in conversations surrounding AAC.

Some people believe that only older children and adults can effectively learn AAC strategies.

But is this true?

TRUTH: There Is No Age Requirement For AAC

Therapists previously thought that only children with some form of skill prerequisites could benefit from AAC techniques.

Consequently, young children were excluded from AAC programs.

However, we now know that everyone can benefit from AAC, no matter their age.

Therefore, District Speech has no age requirements for our AAC programs.

We firmly believe that every human has an innate right to communication, including young children.

RELATED ARTICLE: What’s The Best Age To Begin Speech Therapy?

Myth: AAC Is Only For Children

The other side to this age argument surrounds AAC and adults.

Some people believe that only children can benefit from learning AAC skills.

So, if you’re an adult, you might wonder if you can still utilize AAC for your communication needs.

TRUTH: AAC For Adults Is A Thing As Well

While it’s true that many of our clients embarking on their AAC journey are children, adults can also benefit from these techniques.

Some adults learned AAC strategies during their childhood and continued using these forms of communication into adulthood.

Other people don’t require AAC until well into their adult life.

There are many reasons why a previously verbal adult might suddenly require AAC devices.

For instance, some people develop certain conditions which affect their verbal communication skills later in life.

Examples include:

• Stroke
• Traumatic brain injuries
• Hearing loss

RELATED ARTICLE: Speech Therapy For Adults

Myth: Low Tech AAC Is Better Than High Tech

We’ve already discussed the difference between low tech and high tech AAC.

But which one is better?

TRUTH: It Depends On The Person

Truthfully, no type of AAC technique is better than the others.

It all depends on the individual.

For instance, some people may have physical or cognitive impairments which prevent them from effectively utilizing high tech AAC technology.

Low tech AAC is often a better fit in these instances.

Other people find themselves more motivated using high tech AAC devices that better reflect today’s high tech world.

The ultimate low tech AAC option is sign language, and that’s used by more than half a million Americans.

The best AAC option is the one that works for you.

Myth: AAC Is Only For Use In Speech Therapy Sessions

AAC is used quite a bit during speech therapy sessions.

Your speech therapist can help you choose the right AAC technique, as well as teach you how to develop your AAC skills.

But that doesn’t mean that you should only use these skills during therapy.

TRUTH: Use AAC Wherever You’d Use Speech

AAC takes practice.

There are many different aspects of AAC.

You won’t master them all if you only practice within the confines of your speech therapy sessions.

Speaking children are exposed to approximately 125,000 words per week.

Conversely, children learning language through AAC are only exposed to 1,600 to 24,000 words per week.

Therefore, AAC requires regular modeling within every aspect of your life and across as many different settings as possible.

Myth: AAC Is A One Size Fits All Approach

Your friend might have a child whose communication flourishes with the help of sign language.

So, your child can surely equally benefit from learning sign language, right?

Not necessarily.

TRUTH: AAC Is Customized To Individual Needs

Not many things in life are universally helpful for everyone.

Humans are vastly unique creatures with a whole host of different abilities and limitations.

Therefore, the perfect AAC model is different for everyone.

Your speech therapist can help you determine the best form of AAC for your unique needs.

Myth: AAC Should Only Be Used As A Last Resort

AAC is sometimes considered a last resort therapy.

However, speech therapists know that AAC is anything but.

In fact, treating AAC as a last option can do more harm than good.

TRUTH: AAC Can Be Used Right Away

AAC is most helpful when implemented as an early intervention speech and language therapy technique.

There’s no minimum amount of time you need to wait before enrolling your child in an AAC program.

Early intervention AAC is beneficial for a variety of reasons.

For instance, it provides your child with a tool to better develop their early speech skills.

It also provides an immediate communication method for your child and can prevent any long term effects that may result from unmet communication needs.

Book Your Appointment With District Speech Today

We’ve only briefly touched upon some of the most common myths surrounding AAC.

Unfortunately, there’s many more myths than we have the time to cover in a single article.

However, at District Speech we are dedicated to answering all your questions and helping you explore the best speech therapy program for you or your child.

Book your appointment with District Speech today to get started exploring our wide range of therapy options.