Augmentative/Alternative Communication (AAC) Devices

[Guest guest]

I'd like to comment on the comment that 5 years old may be too young for

Augmentative Communication Devices.

There is a great deal of data that suggests AAC devices help reduce the

frustration a child has in being unable to communicate. Also, the data

highly suggests that AAC devices actually help a child learn to talk.

Children with moderate to significant speech problems are commonly evaluated

in developmental preschool (3 to 5 years old) for AAC devices. The parent

sometimes must request this evaluation as some SD's are not as forthcoming

as others.

In addition, it may take a child a long time to learn how to read and write.

Many AAC devices are based on pictures communication which makes it much

easier for the child to learn a symbolic form of communication that makes

sense to them more rapidly than signing (in my experience). However, an AAC

device is probably not as portable as one's fingers.

Please do a Google search for Augmentative Alternative Communication and

read the information for yourself.

(mom of 5 year old daughter with severe apraxia of speech who

frequently uses her Saltillo ChatPC AAC device, but is currently adding

about 1-3 words and approximations to her spoken expressive vocabulary on a

daily basis, I consider this an explosion! Yippeeeee!)

Original Message:

<Subject: re-do all apraxic kids learn to speak

<(snip)There may be some communication devices that <would work but again 5

seems young to me. (snip)

< Once she can read and write she can use spell boards <and writing to

communicate.

[Guest guest]

> I'd like to comment on the comment that 5 years old may be too

young for

> Augmentative Communication Devices.

>

,

I tried to find the original post regarding this topic so i may be

missing some info, but I'd like to add my daughter as well.....she

has used a tech talk since she was 2 1/2 to varying degrees of

success. It works with the Mayer Boardmaker picture symbols

and has a voice output component as well, so she can hear the spoken

words. At her preschool, she's 3 1/2 now, they use multiple AAC

devices-talking picture frames, voice in a box, etc to help the

children communicate. Even without an AAC device, I think pictures

help lower the frustration level for our silent angels:)

Jen mama2Grace PRS/Moebius