Using AAC Devices for Therapy
Lingraphica’s AAC devices help people to communicate, but that’s not all they do.
At Lingraphica, we know that most people want to continue to improve their speech. Using an AAC device and working on traditional therapy can be simultaneous goals; in fact, an AAC device can be used as part of a therapy program. Research shows that just the act of using Lingraphica’s multi-modal icons to communicate has a beneficial impact on language skills (Steele, 2004). The combination of a picture, the written word, and the verbal word helps to engage the neural network in the brain to connect the word to the image. But what about when your client wants to work on traditional practice? There are several ways to use a Lingraphica device for therapy:
Repetition and self-cueing
Lingraphica builds in many ways for patients to practice meaningful words and phrases.
- Pre-programmed mouth position videos provide visual models
- Use icons as a verbal model and repeat. Many users keep an earbud in so only they can hear the device speak, and then repeat it verbally to speak in their own voice
- Record speech using the practice button. This button can be used with any icon, pre-programmed or personal. Just touch it to hear the device model, and then repeat it. The device will record the user’s speech so they can hear how they did
Built-in therapy tasks
All Lingraphica devices come with built in therapy tasks ranging from expressive and receptive language to memory to math. Practice anytime, anywhere with a library of therapy tasks readily available.
Using the device to complete traditional therapy
An AAC device permits someone with limited verbal skills to participate in traditional therapy tasks they wouldn’t otherwise be able to. An AAC device is perfect for a range of tasks. Basics like naming and categorization are a perfect place to start. Take advantage of Lingraphica’s built-in therapy mode, which allows you to isolate elements of the icons to focus on different skills. Remove the written words to focus on naming, or remove the images to work on reading. Ready for something more complex? Put a library of vocabulary at your patient’s fingertips to enable them to do Semantic Feature Analysis or Verb Network Strengthening Training. For more information on incorporating an AAC device into therapy tasks, watch our CEU course.
Learn More About AAC
The Conquering AAC Series contains three free on-demand courses that are designed to provide fundamental information for SLPs who are new to Lingraphica and high-tech AAC. Click below to learn more and complete the courses.
Lingraphica Can Help
Lingraphica offers free one-on-one consultations for SLPs who have someone on caseload who might be a good fit for an AAC device but aren’t entirely sure where to start. Call us at 866-570-8775 or visit the link below to get started.
