3/1/24

Communication Without
Limits: An Intro to
AAC

Rose Griffin CCC/SLP BCBA

ABA SPEECH
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Financial Disclosure: I am
receiving a portion of the revenue
for speaking today.

Nonfinancial disclosure: I am the

founder of ABA SPEECH and co-
founder of Supervision Academy.
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Learner Objectives
• Participants will be able to list 2 types of
AAC.
• Participants will be able to state 1 AAC
assessment.
• Participants will be able to state 2 ways to
use AAC to teach their learners.

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Beyond Task List

Items
H. Selecting and
Implementing Interventions

Agenda
Introduction
Assessment
Teaching Strategies
Collaboration
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Some Housekeeping
I will share the links(at the end)
• General Evaluation
• ASHA CEU
• ACE CEU
• ABA SPEECH CONNECTION CEU
MEMBERSHIP 2024 Pricing Option
• Resource Folder

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Where are you on your journey

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Hate this activity Love this activity

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AAC

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Why is AAC important?

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Children who cannot effectively use spoken language to

communicate their wants and needs incur significant
restrictions in their ability to participate in all aspects of
their lives (Light & McNaughton, 2014).

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What is AAC?
Augmentative and alternative
communication (AAC) is an area
of clinical practice that
supplements or compensates for
impairments in speech-language
production.

ASHA AAC PRACTICE PORTAL

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Unaided-do not require an

external tool

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Aided-require some form

of external tool, either
electronic or nonelectronic

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Low-tech/light-tech

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Daily Schedule

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Hi-tech

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Hi-tech device

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Hi-tech device

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To Note:

Communication Bill Of Rights

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National Joint Committee for the

Communication Needs of Persons
With Severe Disabilities (NJC)

COMMUNICATION BILL OF
RIGHTS
All people with a disability of any extent or severity have a basic right to affect, through
communication, the conditions of their existence. Beyond this general right, a number of specific
communication rights should be ensured in all daily interactions and interventions involving persons
who have severe disabilities. To participate fully in communication interactions, each person has
these fundamental communication rights:

1. The right to interact socially, maintain social closeness, and build relationships
2. The right to request desired objects, actions, events, and people

3. The right to refuse or reject undesired objects, actions, events, or choices

4. The right to express personal preferences and feelings

5. The right to make choices from meaningful alternatives

6. The right to make comments and share opinions

7. The right to ask for and give information, including information about changes in routine
and environment
8. The right to be informed about people and events in one’s life

9. The right to access interventions and supports that improve communication

10. The right to have communication acts acknowledged and responded to even when the
desired outcome cannot be realized

11. The right to have access to functioning AAC (augmentative and alternative
communication) and other AT (assistive technology) services and devices at all times

12. The right to access environmental contexts, interactions, and opportunities that promote
participation as full communication partners with other people, including peers

13. The right to be treated with dignity and addressed with respect and courtesy
14. The right to be addressed directly and not be spoken for or talked about in the third
person while present

15. The right to have clear, meaningful, and culturally and linguistically appropriate
communications

For more information, go to the NJC website at: www.asha.org/njc

B r a d y , N . C ., B r u c e , S ., G o ld m a n , A ., E r ic k s o n , K ., M in e o , B ., O g le t r e e , B . T ., P a u l, D ., R o m s k i, M ., S e v c ik , R ., S ie g e l, E ., S c h o o n o v e r , J ., S n e ll,

M ., S y lv e s t e r , L ., & W ilk in s o n , K . (2 0 1 6 ). C o m m u n ic a t io n s e r v ic e s a n d s u p p o r t s fo r in d iv id u a ls w it h s e v e r e d is a b ilit ie s : G u id a n c e fo r

a s s e s s m e n t a n d in t e r v e n t io n . A m e r ic a n J o u r n a l o n I n te lle c tu a l a n d D e v e lo p m e n ta l D is a b ilitie s , 1 2 1 (2 ), 1 2 1 - 1 3 8 .

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0

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AAC Assessment

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Abandonement

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Assessment

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Primary
Components

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Secondary
components

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Tertiary
components

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Activity and
Movement

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Understanding

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Attention

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Interaction and
Communication

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Expressions and
Emotion

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CEU library
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Teaching Strategies

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Start with modeling

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AAC Vocabulary
Considerations

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Choose individualized
targets

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Collaboration

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Who does this device belong to?

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Parent

BCBA SLP

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Know Who Is On The Team

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WHO
8 year old student
Had an IEE completed
Attended a nonpublic program for
autistic learners starting at age 8

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ASSESSMENT

Student had been given a battery of tests

during the IEE testing and goals had been
developed.

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GOALS

• Requesting
• Functional one step directions
• Matching
• Group
• Device use and care

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INTERVENTION
SPEECH SESSION WAS 60 MINUTES IN
LENGTH - MODIFIED TO 2 30 MINUTE
SESSIONS
TOOK PLACE WEEKLY
60 MINUTES OF THERAPY WEEKLY
30 MINUTES INDIVIDUAL, 30 MINUTES
GROUP
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COLLABORATION

MET WITH RBT EACH WEEK AT THE START OR

END OF SESSION AND ONCE A MONTH BOOK
REVIEW
MET WITH BCBA ON AN AS NEEDED BASIS
SLP PROGRAMMED THE DEVICE

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Summary
Introduction
Assessment
Teaching Strategies
Collaboration
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Remember Vance?

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CEU library
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CEU library
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CEU library
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The ALP for AAC was developed in partnership among Lisbeth Nilsson
(independent Occupational Therapist, Sweden), Chip Clarke (Owner,
Assistive Technology Works) and Sarah Wilds (Speech Language
Pathologist, PRC-Saltillo).

ASHA Practice Portal - Augmentative and Alternative Communication-

Accessed March 1, 2024.

Hill, K., & Corsi, V. (2012). Role of speech-language pathologists in assistive

technology assessments. In S. Federici & M. J. Scherer (Eds.), Assistive
technology assessment handbook (pp. 301–327). CRC Press.
Light, J., & McNaughton, D. (2014). Communicative competence for
individuals who require augmentative and alternative communication: A
new definition for a new era of communication? Augmentative and
Alternative Communication, 30(1), 1–18. doi:10.3109/07434618.2014.885080

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