AAC

So if you look at my old post about research topic, I finally got it picked (just in the nick of time.) Thought I'd take a second to increase awareness of this subject. AAC, also known as augmentative and alternative communication is used for those people that can't communicate. Many have never heard of this stuff or been exposed to it and its many uses. I had my first class over the summer and it just depressed me how little people know about it. For example, a child with autism may use a Picture Exchange System where they have pictures that represent something like an apple. So the child takes the picture of the apple to a caregiver and hands it to them to tell them they want an apple. ASL and gestures are considered AAC. On the other hand you have voice output systems where the system says what they have "typed" (there are many ways to input). There are so many different types. How many of you can say you've seen a person with cerebral palsy and think "they can't talk and they probably have no idea what is going on." I thought that once to until I saw the uses of AAC. We learn that they do have the cognitive ability to think, they just don't have the muscle coordination in the mouth to articulate the words. The sad part is that since so few people know about AAC, the people that would benefit from it are not gaining access and when they do, people don't have the training. My research paper is going to discuss what specifically a speech path can do to encourage the long term use and benefits of the devices. I'll let whoever knows how that turns out! And do me a favor. Do a little research of your own on AAC and it's benefits.