AAC for children with
sensory and motor
issues
WHAT IS AN ACC?
• AAC stands for Alternative Augmentative Communication.
• The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association Special Interest
Division 12: Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) defined
AAC as follows:
• Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) refers to an area of
research, as well as clinical and educational practice.
• AAC involves attempts to study and when necessary compensate for
temporary or permanent impairments, activity limitations, and
participation restrictions of individuals with severe disorders of speech-
language production and/or comprehension including spoken and
written modes of communication.
In simple it context,
• AAC means all of the ways that someone communicates besides
talking.
• People of all ages can use AAC if they have trouble with speech or
language skills.
• Augmentative means to add to someone’s speech. Alternative
means to be used instead of speech. Some people use AAC
throughout their life.
• There are increased numbers of individuals with complex
communication needs: They represent a wide range of ages, both
younger and older, than ever before; they experience a wide array of
disabilities (both developmental and acquired), resulting in an
extensive range of motor, sensory perceptual, cognitive, and language
skills; they come from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds;
they participate in a wide range of environments (home, school, work,
and community); and they require services over a longer life span, as
their needs and skills change over time
TYPES OF AAC
• Low Tech/ No tech
• Hight Tech
1. Low Tech-
• gestures and facial expressions,
• writing,
• drawing,
• spelling words by pointing to letters, and
• pointing to photos, pictures, or written words.
• Sign Language
2. High Low-
• using an app on an iPad or tablet to communicate and
• using a computer with a “voice," sometimes called a speech-
generating device.
A person may use different types of AAC because there are many
ways that we all communicate.
An AAC system means all of the tools of this type that a person uses.
Low tech AAC
High Tech AAC
SENSORY AND MOTOR ISSUES
• Sensorimotor problems affect the interpretation of sensory
information and cause difficulties in motor planning and sequencing
of movements.
• Motor planning is the ability to think through a new task requiring
body movements and then performing that movement.
• Sequencing of movements involves breaking down the movement
into smaller parts.
Causes of senory and motor issues
• Autism and other developmental disorders
• Learning disabilities
• Brain injury
• Genetics
• Fragile X syndrome
• Individuals with complex communication needs often present with
vision, hearing, motor, and/or cognitive impairments that may limit
their participation in typical assessment procedures.
• For example, the AAC team cannot use an assessment that requires
oral responses if the individual is unable to speak.
• Sensory play and interaction is proven to improve learning outcomes.
This holds true even when it comes to communicating and learning
with AAC.
STRATERGIES USED
• Mand-Model: In the mand-model strategy, clinicians ask questions or
provide direct instructions to create instructional opportunities in
natural environments (Reichle and Sigafoos, 1991).
• Time Delay:This type of expectant time delay procedure is generally
preceded by a mand-model procedure in which the student is
directed to tell the teacher what he or she wants.
5-10 seconds
• Molding/Physical Guidance: Providing a full physical prompt or
whatever motor assistance is needed. For manual signs or gestures, it
may include physical movement of the learner’s hands.
• Shaping: In unaided communication, this would mean initially
responding to gross gestures or rough approximations of new signs,
and then gradually responding to only increasingly precise responses.
• Enhancements: The physical appearance of the words is enhanced to
provide a clue to the meaning.
For eg: bIG small
• Missing Item- Reqesting the missing item.
• Blocked Response
• Verbal Prompt- Free statergy- The basic strategy consists of providing
the student with a readily recognized pictorial symbol of a highly
desired item in the appropriate context. eg;touch the symbols
knowingly/ unknowingly
• Incomplete Presentation-In this strategy, the children’s responses
were followed by incomplete (e.g., only half of the toy’s parts) rather
than complete (e.g., all of the toy’s parts) reinforces.
• Delayed Assistance-strategy to teach requests for assistance
• Conversational Coaching-This strategy requires a facilitator to provide
unobtrusive conversational coaching to the person with CCN
(Complex Communication Needs) and his or her communication
partners (e.g., friends, parents, co-workers).
REFERENCES
• Beukelman, D. R., & Mirenda, P. (2013). Augmentative and Alternative
Communication (4th ed.). Paul H. Brookes Publishing Co., Inc.
• Binger, C., Berens, J., Walsh, J. K., & Taylor, S. (2008). The Effects of
Aided AAC Interventions on AAC Use, Speech, and Symbolic Gestures.
Seminars in Speech and Language, VOLUME 29, 101-111.
• Dowden, P. A., & Ma, N. A. (1995). Augmentative and Alternative
Communication: treatment principles and strategies. Seminars in
Speech and Language , 140-158.
