Augmentative/Alternative Communication Speech and Language Pathologist

Staff attempt to compensate (either temporarily or permanently) for the impairment and disability patterns of individuals with severe expressive communication disorders (i.e., the severe impairments in speech-language, reading and writing).  AAC staff incorporates the individual's full communication abilities and may include any existing speech or vocalizations, gestures, manual signs, and aided communication.  AAC is truly multimodal, permitting individuals to use every mode possible to communicate.  Staff monitors the ability to use AAC devices as it may change over time, although sometimes very slowly, and the AAC system chosen today may not be the best system tomorrow.  Staff utilizes an integrated group of four components to enhance communication, which includes symbols, aids, techniques, and/or strategies.  Typically, forms of AAC are divided into two broad groups, known as unaided and aided forms of communication. Unaided forms of communication consist of nonverbal means of natural communication (including gestures and facial expressions) as well as manual signs and American Sign Language (ASL). Staff ascertain which form(s) of communication can be employed by students who are able to use their hands and have adequate fine-motor coordination skills to make fine-grained production distinctions between hand shapes.  Communication partners are assisted understanding the signs for communication in order for them to be functional.  Staff utilizes aided forms of communication that may require some additional external support, such as a communication board with visual-graphic symbols (i.e., pictures, photographs, line drawings, Blissymbols, printed words, traditional orthography) that stand for or represent what an individual wants to express or a sophisticated computer with symbols, words, letters, or icons that "speaks" for its user via either synthetically produced speech or recorded natural (digitized) speech.  Students receive instruction on a variety of devices, from laptop computers that talk as well as perform a wide range of other operations (e.g., word processing, World Wide Web access) to computer linked devices dedicated to communication.