What are the Goals of Augmentative Communication?

Augmentative Alternative Communication and Its Use

The goals of augmentative alternative communication - also referred to as AAC - is to assist people who have a limited verbal expression, or are non-verbal due to some impairment or disability. For example, a deaf person, or an individual who is hearing impaired, may use sign language for communication and this is a form of alternative communication. Severe problems for communication are also noticed in persons suffering from cerebral palsy, autism, mental retardation and people who have not developed speech. Such communication can be either aided or unaided.

Unaided communication is by the use of facial expression, body postures, hand gestures and eye movements. Sign language is also such a form of unaided communication but requires special training not available to everyone. Most people also communicate their feelings with inflections in their words or the use of certain words or combination of words.

Aided communication uses boards, pictures, books or other devices to communicate with the person who has such difficulties. The use of blackboards, script cards, erase boards and markers along with computer screens can be used along with other voice amplification systems.

Goals of Alternative Augmentative Communication

AAC uses effective communication to allow the afflicted persons to fully exchange their thoughts, feelings, ideas and needs to other persons who interact with them. Persons who are non-verbal or have difficulty with speech can use AAC to communicate. Success in life is directly related to a person’s ability to communicate and has a direct impact on education, independence and careers. This then has to be the most important goal that has to be addressed by augmentative and alternative communication. Anything that compromises on this goal will in sum be a compromise on the tapping of the person’s potential to develop himself or herself into a valuable human being.

Most of us, who do not have any problem, depends on spontaneous verbalization to communicate. People with communication problems can use AAC to express their needs or wants with devices that communicate this by an unaided or aided form of communication. They can also use these methods to impart information about themselves or things that have happened to them, thus developing social closeness with the other person. AAC communication has also to include social etiquette so that the person with such communication problems is not seen as aloof or rude.

To achieve the goals of alternative augmentative communication in education, it is necessary that all activities be introduced in small steps which will allow the educator and the student to achieve definite progress that can motivate them to look to further the education. These activities also need to be introduced into daily activities and everyday situations so that the constant repetition itself will help the student to absorb the information. AAC whether aided or unaided needs to be constantly supervised and evaluated so that progress is constant.