Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Augmentative and Alternative Communication, more often referred to as AAC, covers all non-verbal methods of expression people may use to express their needs. There are various types of AAC tools available on the market.
To help children with special needs facilitate their communication development, you can use AAC books. Instead, for children or adults with severe speech difficulties, you may prefer communication boards.
AAC book, also known as a tailored book, is a special book where words and phrases go along with visual symbols.
A communication board is a tool that shows symbols or images to help people with limited language skills express themselves. They can be easily handmade boards or more advanced speech-generating devices.
You can use communication boards and ACC books at home, at school, or in healthcare environments.
Who can benefit from AAC?
- Children with cognitive and language disorders
- Individuals with congenital disabilities (cerebral palsy, autism, developmental and learning disabilities)
- People with acquired disabilities (stroke or brain injury)
- AAC books along with communication boards should be used to overcome the communication deficit and reactivate and enhance interactions and development
Symbol based AAC books
At a glance
The AAC book is a symbol-based text representation. For example, you can represent through symbols the phrases that express mood, action, etc., or even entire stories or fairy tales. Let's consider the following phrase written in a foreign language to make it clear.
Io voglio andare a casa.
If you don’t know Italian, it’s likely impossible to get the meaning of it. Now you are in the shoes of a person with special needs. Let's transform the phrase into figures to improve understanding.
Now the message is clear: "I want to go home."
