Do you speak AAC?

Note: A downloadable .pdf version of this is available here.

Children are not born with speech and language.  They learn and develop skills based on what they hear and experience 24/7.  A child raised in an environment where French is spoken will learn to understand and use the French language.  If that same child was raised in an environment where Japanese is spoken, he would learn and use Japanese.  These skills develop in a somewhat predictable fashion.  Receptive understanding precedes expressive use.  Motor skills to physically produce the speech sounds develop through trial and error (babbling) before it is possible to string sounds together for verbal communication.  Spoken words are first approximations with errors.  Over years of 24/7 immersion and with many opportunities to try, practice and receive feedback and direct instruction, functional speech and language emerges.  With many more years, these skills are further developed and refined. 
                                                          
It is interesting to consider the following:  We give babies a year immersed in verbal language before we expect them to say a few words (just single words, not sentences).  We understand it will be several years of immersion and teaching before kids who communicate verbally will develop use of full sentences, use language for a variety of intents, engage in conversations, and relate information.  Yet when we put an AAC system in front of a child with limited or no verbal speech and do not see “adequate progress” within a week, a few months, or even a year, we decide it is not working and switch to something new.  Imagine if we told a 1-year old developing verbal speech, “Sorry, you have not mastered English.  Let’s try Dutch.”  And then a few months later, “Hmmm…you are just not getting Dutch.  Let’s do Chinese.”  That is essentially what we are doing to AAC users when we ‘jump ship’ without providing them comparable immersion, teaching, support, time and meaningful opportunities to learn and develop ability to use any given AAC system.  Speaking AAC is speaking a different language.  And each AAC system is a different language.  For AAC users, any difference means work to learn.  

Not every AAC system is appropriate for every AAC user.  We must first identify the features needed in the AAC system to match the user’s needs and abilities.  I need corrective lenses to accommodate my vision needs; the prescription is specific to me based on various vision measures.  But as long as they contain the features to meet my individual needs, there are many options for me to choose from.  Once an appropriate AAC system has been chosen through feature matching, we need to provide the same level of immersion, experience and opportunity to AAC users as we do children developing verbal communication.  We need to “speak AAC” to users in an immersive fashion for a LONG period of time before we expect any expressive use from the AAC user.  We need to provide many meaningful, functional opportunities daily for the AAC user to practice.  We need to presume they can and want to learn.  We need to expect communication in all Image from www.PrAACticalAAC.orgsituations.  But we cannot expect mastery without lots of practice.  We need to change perceptions in order to provide opportunities.  Opportunities lead to achievement.  And achievement improves perception.  Communication happens when we provide appropriate tools, good intervention and support, and plenty of meaningful opportunities to practice.