AAC Awareness Month

October is Augmentative & Alternative Awareness Month and for me this is an opportunity to spotlight the needs of nearly 5 million Americans & 97 Million people world wide ( Beukleman & Light, 2020) who are unable to communicate using their natural speech. Their speech is either not present or not effective to communicate for their day to day needs.

This occurs in children due to a variety of developmental or neurological conditions such as childhood apraxia of speech ( CAS), autism spectrum disorders, cerebral palsy, down syndrome or other genetic syndromes, or developmental delays. Adults may need access to AAC following a loss in the ability to speak after a traumatic brain injury, stroke, or onset of a degenerating condition such as Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS), Alzheimer's or dementia, multiple sclerosis, or other conditions.

As an speech language pathologist who specializes in AAC, I am always educating and advocating for those who cannot speak for themselves. I am passionate about creating a world where access to AAC is present and those around the individual with complex communicative needs have the tools and skills to confidently support communication. In efforts to improve access and education of what apps are available please check out this infographic on the free and discounted communication apps available in October for AAC awareness month, created by Lauren Enders Gonzales here: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1rZQ6RH9O0fY1wrfoSJLrPCw2r9N_6u_6?fbclid=IwY2xjawNLfHJleHRuA2FlbQIxMABicmlkETFLTTFia2lScEtsYjZVVlhVAR511YmJIZmnv6CFCc7-TZc28B-7FTAKbN1oDIM38dcDpHfDzMqYKxwZQZnU_g_aem_JGatnbNOWZik4ojCFBSDxA

Express Speech & AAC does not have any financial ties or benefits in sharing this information, just wanting to improve access and awareness of the options for AAC that are available.