How Will AAC Support Communication? Will AAC Stop a Person From Talking?

What is AAC?

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) includes any form of communication that supports or replaces speech. This might include:

• Gestures, signs, and facial expressions
• Picture boards or communication books
• Speech‑generating devices or apps

AAC can be used instead of speech or alongside speech, and people can use both at the same time.

AAC is not only for individuals who are non-speaking. It can also support children who use verbal speech but may have difficulty being understood, finding the right words, or communicating in certain situations. AAC works alongside speech to support communication, rather than replace it.

How can AAC benefit people?

• AAC can support individuals who have difficulty expressing themselves, including their wants and needs, feelings, opinions, questions, and ideas.
• It can be used when an individual’s speech is difficult to understand or unclear.
• It can support individuals who find it difficult to understand spoken language by providing visual supports to make sense of what is being said.
• It can benefit individuals who learn best through visual supports.
• Research shows that children learn language more effectively when they are given both visual and spoken input. Using AAC alongside speech allows children to see and hear words at the same time, which can support vocabulary learning and understanding.
• It provides a reliable way for individuals to communicate, reducing frustration when their message is not understood.
• It supports the development of language skills, including vocabulary and sentence building.
• It promotes independence by allowing individuals to make choices, express preferences, and advocate for their needs, rather than relying on others (e.g. parents or teachers) to interpret or explain what they are trying to say.

Research suggests that some autistic individuals may experience differences in how the brain supports speech production, including motor planning and coordination. This can make it more difficult to produce clear and consistent speech, even when the individual understands language and knows what they want to say.

When individuals are not given ways to communicate beyond spoken language, particularly those who may have difficulty communicating verbally (e.g. autistic children), this can lead to increased frustration and behaviours. Providing AAC gives them another way to express themselves and be understood. Early access to AAC is important, as having a reliable way to communicate supports language development, social connection, and participation, and allows children to build their communication skills and engage more meaningfully with others.

Using AAC can be similar to learning another language. Individuals are learning new symbols, words, and ways to put messages together to communicate. Like learning any new language, this takes time, practice, and consistent support from others.

Individuals can use different forms of AAC, such as gestures, facial expressions, and speech-generating devices. These can be used together to support communication and make their message clearer.

Will AAC stop my child from talking?

This is one of the biggest concerns for families, and the answer is clear:

No. AAC does NOT stop children from talking.

Research consistently shows:

• Millar, Light, and Schlosser (2006) found that AAC intervention increased speech production in most participants and did not reduce speech in others.
• AAC provides more opportunities to participate in conversations and everyday activities (Blichak, Lombardino, & Dyson, 2003).
• A review of research (2000–2020) found strong evidence that AAC supports communication, including improvements in understanding and using language, social communication, independence, participation, and overall communication skills (Crowe et al., 2021).
• Romski et al. (2010) found that children who used AAC during intervention learned significantly more new words than children who received spoken language intervention alone.

Why doesn’t AAC stop speech?

AAC supports communication and speech development in several key ways:

• Reduces pressure: Individuals do not have to rely only on speech to communicate, which can make communication feel less stressful and more successful. This can support their confidence to communicate in all ways.
• Increases success: When children are understood, they are more motivated to communicate again.
• Provides models: Seeing and hearing words together strengthens learning.

Think of AAC as a bridge to communication, not a barrier.
The goal is not “speech only”, the goal is meaningful communication.

Final message

Every individual deserves a way to communicate effectively, and everyone deserves the right to choose how they want to communicate.

References:

• Millar, D. C., Light, J. C., & Schlosser, R. W. (2006).
  The impact of augmentative and alternative communication intervention on the speech production of individuals with developmental disabilities: A research review.
  Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 49(2), 248–264.
  https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2006/021)
• Beukelman, D. R., & Mirenda, P. (2013).
  Augmentative and alternative communication: Supporting children and adults with complex communication needs (4th ed.).
  Brookes Publishing.
• Crowe, B., Machalicek, W., Wei, Q., Ganz, J., & Drew, C. (2021).
  Augmentative and alternative communication for children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review.
  American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 30(6), 2473–2490.
  https://doi.org/10.1044/2021_AJSLP-21-00044
• Romski, M. A., Sevcik, R. A., Adamson, L. B., Smith, A. L., Barker, R. M., & Bakeman, R. (2010).
  Randomized comparison of augmented and nonaugmented language interventions for toddlers with developmental delays and their parents.
  Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 53(2), 350–364.
  https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2009/08-0156)