Benefits of AAC
There are three different levels of cognitive recovery for individuals with Traumatic Brain Injury: Early Stage, Middle Stage, and Late Stage. Each stage has different intervention approaches using AAC that are beneficial to the individual.
Early Stage
During this stage, people with TBI are unable to speak functionally. The goals in this stage are to increase the consistency of responses and shape the responses into meaningful communication.
Interventions include:
Middle Stage
In this stage, individuals may be able to speak functionally but can produce confused messages. AAC interventions should be used to support conversational interaction and messages that relate to wants, needs, and information sharing. Interventions include:
Late Stage
By this stage, most have regained their ability to become natural speakers but have difficulty learning new information. However, there are some that are unable to speak due to language or motor control disorder. Interventions include:
Early Stage
During this stage, people with TBI are unable to speak functionally. The goals in this stage are to increase the consistency of responses and shape the responses into meaningful communication.
Interventions include:
- Using single switch devices such as an mp3 player or DVD player to play favorite music or video clips
- using a single switch device to generate greetings
- yes/no response system
- single communication boards with 2 or 3 pictures
- single message output device to request an item or yes/no communication
Middle Stage
In this stage, individuals may be able to speak functionally but can produce confused messages. AAC interventions should be used to support conversational interaction and messages that relate to wants, needs, and information sharing. Interventions include:
- Alphabet board
- Pictures
- Word boards
- Yes/No Techniques
- single or limited number of simple displays on a speech-generating device.
Late Stage
By this stage, most have regained their ability to become natural speakers but have difficulty learning new information. However, there are some that are unable to speak due to language or motor control disorder. Interventions include:
- Augmented writing systems
- Speech generating device including text to speech
- communication boards and books