AAC & Adults
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is any form of communication that is not verbal speech.
What you can gain from this blog:
SLPs - find the motivation you need to take the leap to work with adult AAC users and remember to add the fun and exciting aspects of communication to your clients’ devices
Families - encouragement to program fun and meaningful messages onto AAC devices, explain why sometimes there is a lack of therapy providers for adult AAC
Everyone – motivation to search for adult therapy funding sources and share with others
AAC is a fantastic tool that allows people of all ages to communicate if they are not able to do so verbally. However, the SLP profession is highly geared towards pediatric AAC. To be transparent, I have more pediatric clients on my caseload than adults. I love all things AAC from different types of devices to young children communicating for the first time to giving adults a chance to say what they actually want to say (IYKYK). It is easy to get caught up in the technical side of goal writing for our clients. Insurance loves language like “the client will communicate wants and needs.” SLPs, does this sound familiar? Parents, how many times have you heard something along these lines?
BUT, AAC for adults is so much more than communicating wants and needs. YES, this is important. But there’s so much more to it. If you were unable to use your voice, would you want someone to teach you to say “help,” “go,” “stop,” “more,” and then leave you hanging there? There’s more to life. What about telling jokes, flirting, expressing frustration or anger, letting someone know you need alone time, or letting someone know you understand everything they are saying.
Communication should be motivating and exciting. Communication should not be boring and/or forced. That is why it’s important for SLPS and families to consider the client’s personality, preferences, and desired communication skills. Think outside the box. Personalize the icons and words. The device’s programming should reflect the client’s desired communication. Add jokes, put personal pictures on the icons, add icons that allow the client to express all their feelings.
For SLPs, it is not common to get much exposure to adult AAC in grad school. The majority of our training on AAC is geared towards pediatrics. This alone limits the number of therapists who are providing AAC services to adults. Not to mention, getting AAC therapy covered by insurance as an adult is difficult and often impossible. It’s important to remember that just because someone uses AAC does not mean they need ongoing speech therapy. However, on the other hand, many adults who use AAC continue to need therapy for family/ support staff education, obtaining new devices, changing access methods, maybe even using AAC for the first time.
SLPs- if you have ever been interested in adult AAC this is your time to shine! Don’t worry about the what-ifs. Find courses that interest you and reach out to other therapists who work with adult AAC users. There is always someone willing to share their experiences and answer your questions. Learning about eye-gaze devices, working with clients similar in age to you, and all the other factors that come with the territory seem intimidating. I often reach out to SLPs in my area that have way more experience than me, rely on the technical support numbers, and speak with the state reps when I have questions. Just like all things speech therapy, I learn something new every day. If this is something you’re interested in I say go for it!
Abby Hedgepath M.S., CCC-SLP
