1. Myths that can prevent children from being introduced to AAC

2. Myths of AAC • AAC is a “last resort” • Best to “Wait and See” if the Child Will Be a “Talker” • AAC hinders speech development. • A certain set of skills or pre-requisites are necessary to use AAC. • AAC is only for people who have better receptive skills than expressive skills • Children who do not immediately respond to AAC are not “ready” • AAC is only for people who cannot speak at all. • AAC can wait until the child enters early childhood • An AAC expert and fancy equipment are needed to start using AAC with a child

3. Myth: AAC is a “last resort” • Reality: • AAC can serve as an important platform for language development • AAC can enhance the functionality of existing speech. • AAC should be implemented as a preventive strategy • Bag of tools for use in communication breakdown situations. • Implement BEFORE communication failure occurs in those who are “at risk” for speech problems

4. What does “at risk” mean? • history of neurological impairment • developmental lags in early vocal and speech milestones • persistence of primitive reflexes • oral-motor difficulties (particularly with sucking and swallowing) • suspected cognitive disability

5. Myth: Best to “Wait and See” if the Child Will Be a “Talker” • Reality • If the child is “at risk”, then an AAC bridge is essential to avoid negative and lasting impacts on language development • AAC is multi-modal and should include supporting development of verbal skills • It is not an “either or” proposition

6. Myth: AAC hinders speech development • Reality • There is NO EVIDENCE that AAC has a detrimental impact on speech • Recent work suggests that access to AAC may have a positive impact on speech development (Millar et al., 2006; Cress, 2003)

7. Myth: A certain set of skills are necessary to use AAC • Reality: • Language vs. communication • Everyone can communicate; everyone does communicate • There are no pre-requisites to communication • AAC can be an important tool for advancing language and cognitive development

8. Myth: AAC is only for people who have better receptive than expressive skills • Reality • Many people who could benefit from AAC have similar expressive and receptive abilities • sometimes very limited • AAC plays an important role in enhancing participation • AAC can be an important tool for advancing language (expressive and receptive) and cognitive development

9. Myth: AAC is only for people who cannot speak at all. • Reality • Anyone who cannot meet all communication needs using speech is a candidate for AAC • AAC can be used as a back-up strategy when speech fails • Breakdown resolution • AAC use can be partner and situation specific • AAC can be used to supplement speech • AAC can be used to support language development

10. Myth: Children who do not immediately respond to AAC are not “ready” • Reality • Learning skills to use AAC (e.g., symbols) is a part of AAC intervention • Children needing the AAC bridge need to experience the same kinds of feedback and alternatives that verbal children receive for equally annoying or inappropriate communication • Sometimes communication that begins as “random” helps a child learn the meaning of messages • Communication using an AAC bridge will not emerge on its own

11. Myth: AAC can wait until the child enters early childhood • Reality • An AAC bridge is needed as soon as possible for “at risk” children • Delays in having a bridge over language learning barriers has negative implications for future lingquistic and cognitive development

12. Myth: An AAC expert and fancy equipment are needed to start using AAC with a child • Reality • Many low tech and simple voice output devices can be used to immediately make an AAC bridge available for a child • Team members can add simple AAC tools to many of the skill building activities that they are already familiar with • Word processing programs, pictures, and web images can be used to create simple displays even if fancy software programs for AAC are not available • There are now many more inexpensive simple talking devices (less than $100) and mainstream technologies (eg., iPad) offering options that address needs of young children with communication delays

13. The role of the SLP in AAC services • Scope of practice • Not all SLPs are expected to engage in all areas of AAC practice. • However, all SLPs are expected to recognize situations in which mentoring, consultation, and/or referral to another professional are necessary to provide quality services to individuals who may benefit from AAC. • Roles of an SLP can vary based on training and experience • There are now many resources to support therapists interested in implementing simple AAC systems • See ASHA 2001, Knowledge and Skills for Service Delivery in AAC

14. Some children need Years of Input before developing Expressive language. Especially if they are not processing spoken language