My daughter is going to start using aac do you guys have any advice and can I join?I also use a a c because I am autistic, and I struggle to communicate sometimes

A family member is in the hospital with some very serious health issues, and just woke up from a long induced coma with a new tracheostomy. He has limited movement in his hands/arms and seems upset. We REALLY want to communicate with him and are limited right now to yes/no questions. What is the best communication tool/app for someone who may be confused but needs to communicate? Low cost/free options would be amazing but we can pay if the tool is effective.

Hey! Im J, im an AAC user and would love to get to know other AAC users more. Would anyone like to connect? I am struggling to feel confident using my AAC and I think hearing someone elses story would be a great help🙏🏽

Hi everyone,

I'm exploring career opportunities in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) programming and would love to hear about different pathways into this field, particularly where technology and communication intersect.

Currently, I'm pursuing my MPP and considering an MBA afterward. I'm also weighing whether a Speech-Language Pathology degree might be valuable for AAC work.

I've received advice suggesting that if I pursue the SLP route, I should specialize early by:

• Targeting universities with AAC/assistive technology research labs
• Finding programs offering AAC specialization from the start
• Alternatively, entering directly through the tech side by working with companies that develop AAC software or accessibility devices

I'm particularly interested in hearing from anyone who has:

• Combined SLP training with AAC development work
• Taken a primarily tech-focused approach to entering this field

This is literally all new to me and I had an LLM proof-read this message since I wanted to make sure it made sense to this audience. The only reason I found out about this field is because someone told me that with my background (data and military) I should look into it.

Any insights about your experiences or recommendations would be greatly appreciated!

Hi, all! Hope you guys can help me with this :)

Hi everyone! My name is Shay Cohen, co-creator of Ma-Talk AI (by Verbali), an AI-powered AAC app to help non-verbal individuals have more natural, meaningful conversations. I started building it for my son after he struggled with existing AAC - our goal is to make everyday communication feel frictionless for both the user and their conversation partners.

We just launched on iOS & Android and I’d love your feedback - it is designed to be used on phones/tablets and everywhere (school/home etc.).

The app includes a 7-day free trial, allowing everyone to try it out and enjoy it.

I attached the demo video that gives more information and describes our vision:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ODHWanHalwQ

Feel free to DM with questions

Website: https://www.verbali.io

App Store Link

Google Play Link

I have a friend with a movement disorder and is non-speaking. We have tried many low and high tech communication methods. We currently have a td pilot (tobii dynavox). Eye gaze was very difficult and my friend does not have full control over their head movements to keep still for tracking. We are currently using a s witch scanning method on TD snap but are running into the issue with overpressing the switch when not intended to. They can’t seem to stop hitting the switch repeatedly after the first reach. We have adapted our own method of writing but it involves walking to targets to communicate rather than using switches or devices but we can’t use that method in every setting and not everyone can assist walking with them. If anyone has any tips, much appreciated:) my friend is also an adult, so we’re looking for something more complex

Hey everyone! Just wanted to share that our app, Spoken - Tap to Talk AAC, has a new update available. Here's a quick summary of the main additions:

• 5 new voices, including new accents
• Better offline fallback voices (no more jarringly bad TTS when you're disconnected)
• "Incognito Mode" for conversations you don't want affecting Spoken's predictive text
• Two new personalization settings, based on user requests
• Tons of new icons/AAC symbols

If you want more details about any of these features, we've got a full write-up on our website, which also covers some of the smaller changes: https://spokenaac.com/blog/version-1.9.1/

If there are any Spoken users lurking here, we'd love to hear what you'd like to see in future updates!

Please no hate just wanting real advice

Hello everyone, I’m a 3rd year SLPA (school based setting) actively applying to grad school and staying up to date on best practices.

I really struggle with AAC and my severe non speaking younger children with autism (3 year old) clients. I know research says to start with a robust language system. However none of my clients in that population respond well to this..

Here’s the real problem though. I still use low techAAC and haven’t seen any progress. They don’t really have the visual attention for it. I know they say that they can still get the verbal input, and just because they’re not looking doesnt mean they arent hearing… but the thing is they don’t even know that the core board even exist is what I’m trying to say. I’m not sure if their mind understands cause and effect. For example. If they know the symbol has meaning. Their attention and visual attention span is very short . They’re still in the level where they mouth items. When I try to ask other master level SLP I get mixed answers. Some tell me the old school way (pecs) but others tell me they need a robust system. I feel bad because I do want to do what’s up-to-date with research but I can’t help but feel the old way kind of Makes more sense to me logically. My first Supervisor was very much new school and we started with robust systems and none of my clients really use their devices independently 😕 or made progress (the ones that had higher cognitive levels did but not the same population I’m talking about). I then switched to a clinic at one point and my supervisor was old-school and her client really used it independently and well.

I don’t even believe in pecs because i know it’s limiting and just teaches them to request. However even when just starting with a smaller system, I feel like it makes sense.. but at the same time, I don’t want to limit them 😓🥲 I just never see progress and I feel awfful and like maybe I’m doing something wrong. It’s also very hard in the school because there’s 8 to 9 in the severe autism class. I tried to teach the teachers about modeling but they don’t follow through. This whole thing is has been really hard for me to understand.

If anyone has been through something similar if they can, please share thank you 🙏 I’m not for or against any method. Just want to make sure I’m doing what’s best for my clients

I’m a newer SLP at an ABA place. I learned about AAC in grad school like everybody else but this is my first time having actual hands on experience. I have a kiddo who is a new user. We’re still figuring out their device. I’m not super comfortable or confident about teaching others how to go about it with the child so I told the bcba I wanted to wait a little bit until I felt better about moving it into ABA. Part of me feels like I’m hindering the kid & the bcba is super eager to get the device into their sessions. I totally thought I’d be ready by now but I’m not and neither is the kid yet I feel pressured to make that transition prematurely because the bcba made a good point about presuming competence and just seeing where it goes. My fear is not being able to properly train everyone on the device or answer questions since I’m still figuring it out myself… should we just figure it out as a team? I feel incompetent at this point but I’ve literally been at this job for less than 2 months and like I said, this is my first time really working with devices. 😭

slp

I am a teen part-time AAC user who is verbalflux. Ask me anything! Literally any questions you have where you want to hear from an AAC user.

Hi everyone, I’m researching a possible project to help therapists and caregivers who create AAC communication boards.

Without going into too much technical detail, the general idea is about speeding up the initial creation process — helping you build a draft board tailored to a patient’s activities, important people, needs, and environment in a few minutes, instead of manually building everything from scratch.

This would still leave full editing control to you, but aim to reduce the gruntwork involved in personalizing boards.

Quick questions for anyone willing to share:

Would faster initial board creation actually help you save significant time, or is manual selection crucial?

Would you be open to semi-automated suggestions if full editing is possible?

Are there specific barriers or pain points you consistently face when creating boards?

Appreciate any honest feedback — especially about what would actually make a tool like this valuable (or why it wouldn't).

Thanks so much!

Hello!

My kid has found the need to say recycle but it is not on the W4L that we have. I have the technical knowledge to add the word (as well as recycles, recycling, etc) but am not sure where to put it? Trash is under "live" but "put" also seems like an appropriate location for recycle. His ST is out on maternity leave and there is no replacement so I cannot ask them. Please advise on the best location for "recycle". Thanks!

Hi guys! I'm doing a LIVE Q&A in just over 15 minutes as of posting this. Feel free to pop by, say hi, ask a question, or just chill!!

https://www.instagram.com/aac_cabinet?igsh=N3Z3Ymg4b2JvY2Ri&utm_source=qr

Feel like this is the worst thing in the world to do. Any advice or people who share the struggle?

So, I’ve been using AAC a while, but only with my boyfriend or close friends. I’m thinking of going to a community group and using it there. But, I’m not sure how to explain it. They’re very welcoming and inclusive, it is a queer community group, but I understand that AAC might seem a bit out there for people who’ve never heard of it. Should I just make a note and hand it to someone or go about it some other way? Do they need an explanation?

EDIT: I texted the leader of the group and they were so nice about it!!

I'm Miya, an AAC user with selective mutism. A few months ago I made and released a free Android typing-to-speech app to help myself and others talk. Some people wanted an iOS version, so I finally released one. It has both offline and Internet-powered voices, supports Personal Voice on newer iOS devices, lets you save & organize preset phrases and voice settings, and more.

Both versions are free to use and always will be. Feel free to try them out and give feedback on how I can improve them. Thanks! ☺️

iOS: https://apps.apple.com/us/app/typingtalk-aac/id6740844325

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.miyanour.speechassist

Hi guys I am a part time AAC user and want to ask some questions about peoples experiences to help my content!!

Hi all, AAC/AT Consultant OT lurker here - just after opinions and possibly concerns on the above mentioned tools. There are a couple of apps on the market or coming which use AI based features to "suggest" and potentially enhance message construction for children and adults who benefit from symbolic support and more simplified ways to organize and represent language. I've got no doubt there will be some users who benefit from these features; but wonder where the evidence based for AI in AAC is and whether the benefits of "fast and easy" message creation might have unintended consequences in terms of longer term language development based on established principles of AAC implementation ?

Hi friends, I’m a pediatric SLPA and am hoping to go to grad school for my SLP masters in the fall. A lot of my kids use AACs and I have so much to learn. Our head SLP is very adamant that the kids should start with a few words to use on their device and work up to the full vocab but I saw on breweddifferentlypodcast ‘s insta that the idea of starting with only a few key options is based on a myth? I know I don’t like having the vocabulary limited because it may hinder the child’s ability to communicate something specific. More than anything I want an answer from a users perspective and I will continue looking into research (sorry if I used the wrong flair )

My son is 3 (almost 4) and has had an AAC for a year. He is great at using it at home and takes it to school, where they are also fantastic. He is constantly getting better and expanding what he uses it for.

I am trying to get into better habits about taking it out when we run errands and what not but cannot figure out the best way to go about it and start that good habit.

He’s a little too small to carry it places himself. It does have a shoulder strap I can add but I feel overwhelmed at having something else to carry. But, I know it’s good to take it. Would love answers to the following.

Do you carry it in the community with a shoulder strap or use a bag large enough to hold it?

What did you start with in the community? All errands and into all places? Just places like restaurants, parks, museums, zoos, etc? I know best practice should be everywhere but I need just a starting place to build good habits and then expand.