What Is an AAC Device? Video Explanation

Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) devices help individuals who have difficulty speaking or cannot use verbal communication. In this video, we break down what AAC devices are, who uses them, and how they support communication development in children and adults.

If you’d like to read the full article version of this topic, visit:
What Is an AAC Device for Communication?
https://www.hopebridge.com/blog/what-is-an-aac-device-for-communication/

Transcript of the video:

– [David] Looking pretty tired today.

0:03

– [Stacey] Yep.

0:04

– [David] I don’t know, the early wake up.

0:08

– [Stacey] Yellow bus.

0:10

(Braylee mumbling)

0:13

– [David] Yeah. Are you ready for the day?

0:18

Let’s go.

0:19

– [Stacey] She’s like, I was ready for the day

0:21

at five this morning.

0:22

(upbeat music)

0:43

– [David] Show me 21 Pilots.

0:45

– Okay.

0:48

– [AAC device] Alexa, play 21 pilots.

0:52

– [Alexa] This is 21 pilots from Spotify.

0:56

– [David] Good job.

1:00

Can you dance?

1:05

Yeah!

1:07

(upbeat music)

1:34

So I want to talk about AAC devices today.

1:36

I was going to talk about it earlier

1:37

but we kind of got distracted by that dance party.

1:40

If you didn’t know, October is AAC awareness month.

1:45

AAC month is augmented, augmentative

1:49

and alternate communication.

1:51

That is the awareness month

1:53

and Braylee specifically uses an AAC device.

1:58

– [AAC Device] Have.

2:00

– Have.

2:01

– [David] Good job.

2:04

Talk to me.

2:08

– [AAC device] Have.

2:09

– [David] Have what.

2:12

– Talk.

2:13

– [Stacey] What? – [David] Talk.

2:15

– [Stacey] Dog?

2:17

– [AAC device] My turn.

2:18

(Stacey and David giggling)

2:20

– [Stacey] Ask my turn. – [David] Your turn.

2:28

(Braylee mumbling)

2:29

Yeah. – [Stacey] Good job.

2:31

– [David] Good job really.

2:33

My turn. – [Stacey] Say your turn.

2:35

– My turn, my turn, my turn (mumbling).

2:43

– [David] This program specifically is Proloquo to go

2:47

and you’ll get questions about

2:49

what Braylee uses for an AAC device.

2:52

Sometimes people even ask or suggest that

2:55

Braylee should use an AAC device.

2:57

We don’t show it all the time in our videos.

2:59

– [Stacey] No, she’s over here going my turn.

3:01

Oh, you’re playing your music again.

3:04

– [David] She’s playing music over there.

3:06

(toys falling)

3:10

– [Stacey] It’s not a foot spot.

3:12

(Braylee mumbling)

3:16

– So we use, I’ve had many with Proloquo to go software.

3:24

We have this fancy kind of fancy case

3:27

that we threw out into

3:30

just so that I can carry it around easier

3:32

as a carrying strap, inhales

3:34

but yeah, this is,

3:36

this is Braylee’s AAC device

3:39

and she uses it appropriately some of the time.

3:43

A lot of time it has prompted just like it.

3:45

All of her communication can be prompted a lot.

3:50

Definitely progress has been made.

3:52

We have had access to an AAC device for her for,

3:56

since she’s been, – [Stacey] She’s three.

3:58

– Three years old, she’s had one for about five years.

4:02

(Braylee playing with toys)

4:21

(Braylee mumbles)

4:37

Hey, play your music.

4:38

Play your music.

4:41

That music break was brought to you by Braylee.

4:43

Back to your speaking device.

4:45

We, so we call it her talker.

4:48

Braylee, is this your talker?

4:53

You want to say something to me?

4:54

You wanna have a conversation with me?

4:57

Tell me what you want.

5:02

Show me, what do you want?

5:07

– [AAC device] Peanut butter and orange, lunch.

5:11

– [Stacey] You can have those things, go get those.

5:13

Go get a PBJ, go get an orange.

5:16

You can’t get those?

5:17

Go get ’em out of the fridge, go ahead.

5:20

(footsteps)

5:21

We’ll see if that’s really what she wanted.

5:29

– [David] Go ahead.

5:43

And it’s the PBJ that you decided to eat.

5:47

Whoa, careful.

6:05

No, I guess she just wanted multiple things.

6:10

What else is on?

6:11

Oh, no it’s just cream berry and orange.

6:13

– [Stacey] Sometimes she calls it lunch.

6:14

– [David] Yup. Alright.

6:17

Good job grabbing the stuff that you said you wanted.

6:22

That is skill Braylee, that is skill.

6:27

(plastic bag sound)

6:34

– [AAC device] Norton, Carlos.

6:55

Water.

6:55

– [David] Okay, water.

7:01

(water and ice flowing)

7:11

(Braylee gulps)

7:14

See ya, It is AAC awareness month.

7:17

There’s a lot of companies that do put their products

7:21

on pretty nice discounts this time of the year.

7:24

We will list out what we know of

7:27

in the description of this video.

7:30

Maybe you’re looking for an AAC device

7:31

and I know that they can be covered by waivers

7:34

and they can, sometimes you can even get grants for them.

7:37

Some school districts might even pay for them.

7:40

Insurance also is available.

7:43

Sometimes they can be hard to get.

7:44

I mean, we know how it goes with going through insurance.

7:48

Sometimes they would, they just have to be purchased

7:51

out of pocket or fundraise for,

7:53

and then purchase out of pocket.

7:54

And these discounts can be definitely helpful.

7:58

We do like to see what what’s out there,

8:00

what options are out there for AAC.

8:02

And I think that everybody deserves to have a voice

8:05

and it shouldn’t be hard to get these items.

8:09

It’s accessibility.

8:11

It should not be hard to get.

8:13

We’re talking about a voice,

8:15

we’re talking about people’s voices here.

8:17

It’s not just for people that are non-verbal,

8:19

people that do talk but need a device

8:22

for help communicating ’cause sometimes, you know,

8:26

putting your thoughts into words, not that easy

8:30

especially in overwhelming situations.

8:32

I think it’s very important

8:33

that we also talk about communication devices.

8:37

And when someone has a communication device

8:40

and the AAC device,

8:41

that doesn’t mean that they’re not competent.

8:44

We have to remember that too.

8:45

Don’t treat people differently

8:46

because they are using a communication device.

8:49

It is their voice and it should be a normal thing.

8:52

So in the spirit of raising awareness,

8:54

I have a question for you.

8:56

Do your kids, if you have kids,

8:59

do they know what a speaking device is?

9:02

Do they know what it looks like

9:04

and say they heard someone using one,

9:07

do they think it’s just an iPad to play on

9:09

or their actual words?

9:11

So we have had times where kids come up

9:13

and try to take Braylee’s voice away

9:16

cause it looks like a, a device to play games on

9:20

or watch something on,

9:21

doesn’t mean that it’s going to be in.

9:24

Sometimes it is someone’s voice.

9:27

And so I think it’s important

9:28

for kids to know when they are going up to other kids

9:34

that have a tablet to be to be respectful,

9:39

not just start grabbing at it I guess.

9:41

I don’t know, like we’re not the only ones.

9:43

I’ve heard these stories quite often

9:45

that kids do have their communication devices

9:50

attempted to be taken.

9:51

That’s just something that parents could teach

9:54

the kids about AAC devices or iPads.

9:58

– [Stacey] Cause a lot of people ask us

10:00

how to interact with Braylee,

10:01

certain things that are an important thing to know.

10:05

– An important thing to know, If you see,

10:08

like for Braylee, for interacting with Braylee

10:10

if she has her speaking device on her

10:14

that’s just, that’s not something

10:16

that you would ask to have

10:19

or to take just because it is her voice.

10:24

I hope that makes sense.

10:25

I mean, generally when Braylee is around other kids

10:28

generally they’re not,

10:30

they’re not trying to take her talk or anything,

10:31

but it does happen every once in a while.

10:35

I hope this video was informative for you,

10:39

I hope it brings a little more awareness

10:42

for really somebody out there

10:43

for argumentive alternate communication devices.

10:48

You’re really getting into that

10:49

peanut butter and jelly, getting messy.

10:52

We’re gonna have to clean you up a bit.

10:55

– Yummy, yum yum.

10:57

– [David] I do enjoy the peanut butter and jelly

10:59

over the bread myself.

11:02

(Braylee mumbling)

11:03

(Stacey and David giggling)

11:04

Really it’s time to end this video.

11:08

It’s time to end the video.

11:09

We will see you next time.

11:13

I’m not going to have,

11:14

– [Stacey] Next time on The Wee Family.

11:15

– I’m not going to have her in this video

11:17

because I don’t want peanut butter on my lens or jelly.

11:22

We will see you next time on

11:26

The Wee Family.

11:28

(upbeat music)

*Informed consent was obtained from the participants in this article. This information should not be captured and reused without express permission from Hopebridge, LLC. Testimonials are solicited as part of an open casting call process for testimonials from former client caregivers. Hopebridge does not permit clinical employees to solicit or use testimonials about therapeutic services received from current clients (Ethics Code for Behavior Analysts 5.07-5.08; BACB, 2020). Hopebridge does not provide any incentives, compensation, or renumeration for testimonials provided by a former client or client caregiver.