AAC Therapy for Children

Service Description

About This Service What Is AAC? AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication — an umbrella term for all the tools and strategies that support or replace spoken communication. AAC includes everything from simple picture boards and sign language to sophisticated speech-generating devices and communication apps on tablets or dedicated devices. AAC is for any child whose spoken communication alone isn't meeting their daily needs — children who are minimally verbal or nonverbal, children who can speak some but need additional support in certain situations, or children who are working toward spoken language and need a reliable way to communicate in the meantime. At Speak Easy Speech, we specialize in high-tech AAC — speech-generating devices and communication apps — and take a highly individualized approach to assessment and implementation. We match each child to the right system for their needs, then teach them and their families how to actually use it in daily life. Is This Your Child? Signs Your Child May Benefit from AAC AAC is appropriate for a wide range of children. You may want to explore it if your child: → Is nonverbal or minimally verbal and does not have a reliable way to communicate → Has more to say than their spoken language allows them to express → Gets frustrated frequently because they cannot make themselves understood → Uses gestures, pointing, or pulling to communicate but needs more → Has autism and limited or no functional spoken communication → Has a diagnosis associated with complex communication needs → Has been using picture exchange or PECS and is ready for a more robust system → Has a device but it isn't being used effectively or consistently AAC does not prevent speech from developing. Research consistently shows that AAC supports spoken language development — it doesn't replace or delay it. Giving a child a reliable way to communicate often reduces frustration and opens the door to more speech, not less.