AAC, Communication Devices, and the Modeling Approach That Actually Builds Speech

Published May 12, 2026

What AAC actually is, why it doesn't replace speech (it builds it), how to choose between picture exchange, communication boards, and apps like Proloquo2Go, and how to fund a device through OAP.

AAC and Communication Tools

AAC — Augmentative and Alternative Communication — is the umbrella term for any tool that helps a person communicate when speech alone isn't enough. It includes picture cards, communication boards, sign language, speech-generating devices, and apps on tablets.

Two myths stop families from starting AAC sooner than they should. This guide addresses both, then walks through how to actually start.

Myth 1: "If we give them a device, they'll never learn to talk"

Decades of research and lived experience converge on the opposite: AAC supports verbal speech development, it doesn't replace it.

When a non-verbal or limited-verbal child has a reliable way to communicate, several things happen:

• Frustration drops. Meltdowns reduce. The nervous system has bandwidth to learn other things, including sounds.
• The child experiences their words producing effects in the world (they tap "more" and they get more juice). This is the foundation of language motivation.
• Many children begin to vocalize alongside the device — saying the word as they tap it. This is exactly how speech often emerges.

Children who use AAC and also go on to develop spoken language are common. Children who are denied AAC because parents are waiting for speech to "come on its own" sometimes lose years of communication development that doesn't come back.

Start AAC. It will not stop speech. It might be how speech starts.

Myth 2: "My child isn't ready"

Readiness is much lower than people think. Children as young as 18 months — including those with no spoken words — can use AAC successfully when adults around them model it consistently.

Signs your child is ready (you almost certainly have these): - Wants things they can't ask for (any pointing, leading, crying for items) - Recognizes some pictures or symbols - Tolerates a tablet or paper materials in their hands

If they have any of these, they can start.

The AAC spectrum — from no-tech to high-tech

You don't have to start at the top. Many families work through several levels.

Level 1 — Picture exchange (PECS)

Real, paper picture cards. The child hands the card to you to request the item.

• Cheap. Print at home, laminate, velcro to a binder.
• Slow but very concrete — child physically gives you a picture, you give them the item.
• Common starting point for children new to AAC.
• Some children outgrow it within months; others stay here for years.

Free printable PECS resources: search Teachers Pay Teachers for "PECS communication" — many free downloads. Autism Little Learners has free printable boards.

Level 2 — Communication boards

A laminated page or wall-mounted board with multiple pictures organized by category. Child points to what they want.

• More vocabulary than PECS without needing a device.
• Useful in specific environments — by the kitchen, in the bathroom, in the car.
• "Core word" boards (yes, no, more, stop, help, all done, want) cover most early communication needs.

Level 3 — Single-purpose talking devices

Buttons or recordable cards with a few pre-recorded messages.

• Less common now that tablets are cheap.
• Still useful for very young children or specific situations.

Level 4 — Tablet-based AAC apps

This is where most modern AAC lives. The tablet is loaded with an app that generates speech when the child taps icons.

Proloquo2Go is the most-recommended app in the autism community: - Apple-only (iPad). - Tied to your Apple ID — once purchased, works across all iPads on the same ID. - Goes on sale during the AssistiveWare AAC sale (typically October). - Highly customizable — you can build vocabulary that matches your child's life.

Other apps used by some families: - TouchChat — Apple-only, similar to Proloquo2Go. - LAMP Words for Life — different organizational approach (motor planning), preferred by some SLPs. - CoughDrop — cross-platform (Apple, Android, web).

If you have an iPad, Proloquo2Go is the safest first choice. If you're starting from scratch, an iPad + Proloquo2Go is what most families converge on.

Level 5 — Dedicated speech-generating devices

Purpose-built devices (Tobii Dynavox, NovaChat, etc.) — not tablets, no other apps.

• Required by some school boards for in-class use because they can't be locked down to "AAC only" the way a generic tablet sometimes needs to be.
• Often funded by OAP or Assistive Devices Program (ADP) once an SLP recommends one.

For most families, an iPad with Proloquo2Go is sufficient and more flexible.

Funding an AAC device through OAP

If your child is registered with OAP and has been recommended an AAC device by an SLP:

1. Get the SLP's written recommendation. This is typically the trigger. 2. The SLP submits the recommendation to your OAP coordinator. 3. Approval covers the device (or app, in the case of Proloquo2Go) and sometimes a case/mount. 4. You purchase, submit the receipt, get reimbursed.

Without OAP funding, the cost of starting: - iPad (used or refurbished):