Augmentative and Alternative CommunicationChildren who have cerebral palsy face specific challenges arising from motor dysfunction and communication disorders. In order to help these children, augmentative and alternative communication systems emerge as a solution to supplement spoken communication or to replace it completely (Saturno, Ramirez, Conte, Farhat, & Piucco, 2015). “AAC is based on symbols located on a computer screen and uses symbol and phrase suggestion strategies aiming to increase communication efficiency” (Saturno et al., 2015, p. 640). In order to communicate, children select images or icons on the screen (Saturno et al., 2015).
Augmentative and alternative communication systems cover all forms of communication, not only speech. They can be used to express needs, desires, and ideas, convey facial expressions, gestures, and symbols, and for images and writing (Saturno et al., 2015). How it works: In general, using augmentative and alternative communication systems, involves the following steps:
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“When a user selects the desired symbol, it will be added to a special area… the images shown in this figure are merely illustrative. Each computer board could be customised for each user” (Saturno et al., 2015, p. 642). “For example, a vocabulary for a math class, which will have only numbers and arithmetic operators, could be created. It is also possible to build a vocabulary for science classes, which will contain elements of the periodic table. It will depend on the student’s needs and caregiver proficiency using the tool” (Saturno et al., 2015, p. 642). Special augmentative aids, for example, picture and symbol communication, are available to help children with cerebral palsy express themselves, which may increase school performance, social interaction, and self-worth (Saturno et al., 2015).