Who needs & Who can benefit from AAC?

AAC intervention and Speech Generating Devices (SGDs) benefit individuals across the lifespan. A variety of pediatric, adult, acquired and/or temporary conditions, diagnoses or disabilities may contribute to an individual’s need for AAC technology or services. Common causes for a severe expressive communication disorder that may involve a speech, receptive and/or expressive language disorder and other associated areas to varying degrees include: Angleman Syndrome, Autism, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, Fragile X syndrome, and a number of other congenital (from birth) conditions. Also, many people acquire conditions that result in loss of functional speech, language and communication. Well known examples include: Amytrophic Lateral Sclerosis (ALS) or Lou Gehrig’s Disease, aphasia, head injuries and returning veterans with Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI), Huntington’s Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, primary progressive aphasia strokes and to name a few. Again, the need for AAC spans the full age range and knows no economic, ethnic, gender, or other boundaries.