Your Guide to Using AAC in Therapy
Evidence-based Approaches
That Match Your Clients’ Needs
“To see a client go from frustrated and depressed to being able to participate more in the things that are important to them […] it’s so rewarding. My client can communicate more functionally. And he’s much more open to communicating since using this device.”
– Sophia Apgar, Speech-Language Pathologist
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From Our AAC SLPs
How to Introduce AAC in Therapy
If you’re new to using AAC in therapy, you might feel a little unsure about how to introduce it to your clients. You might find yourself wondering how to make AAC feel natural in your sessions, or how to reassure your client and their family that using AAC does not mean giving up on verbal speech.
Here’s the most important thing you should know about AAC:
AAC is a powerful communication and therapy tool for a wide range of clients — not just those who are non-speaking.
Research has shown that AAC not only supports language development in children (Romski et al., 2015), but also enhances speech and language recovery in adults following TBI and stroke (Hux et al., 2006; Dietz et al., 2020). AAC can also be adapted to each client’s specific needs — whether they need it as a temporary support, a cueing strategy, or a long-term tool.
When you include AAC in your therapy plan, you have a tool that:
• Reduces communication frustration and offers a “backup plan” to your client when speech is difficult
• Provides consistent speech and language models for your client — even outside of sessions
• Improves overall communication, which boosts confidence and participation in everyday life
You can start by using AAC as a cueing strategy for word-finding difficulties, a visual support during conversation, or a tool for independent practice outside of sessions.
When your clients and their families see AAC being used this way, they’re more likely to embrace it as technology that builds their loved one’s communication skills — rather than as a sign of “giving up on” or “replacing” speech.
THERAPY FOR APHASIA
Semantic Feature Analysis (SFA)
The What: Semantic Feature Analysis is a therapy technique used to improve naming abilities in clients with aphasia. This approach may be best for clients with moderate nonfluent aphasia (Evans et al., 2021).
The goals of Semantic Feature Analysis are to:
- Enhance semantic mapping (the connection of words in the brain)
- Reinforce talking about the features of a specific word
SFA can also help your clients learn how to self-cue words in everyday life.
The How: Use images from the internet or photos that your client has taken on their Lingraphica AAC device to create your “semantic map” together. You’ll ask questions about features and associations with the target word, like:
- What is it?
- What does it look like? (shape, size, color, etc.)
- What does it make you think of?
- Where would you find it?
- What do you use it for?
If your client struggles to name the target word after creating your semantic map, provide the word and have them repeat or write it.
Bonus Tip: You can also use TalkPath Therapy™ for Semantic Feature Analysis, too! In the free app or your browser, navigate to “Language” > “Speaking” > “Tell Me More.”
Here’s an example of a semantic map (featuring one Lingraphica user’s favorite food: “mashed potatoes”):
Supported Conversation for Adults with Aphasia (SCA™)
The What:
Instead of focusing on speech recovery, Supported Conversation for Adults with Aphasia (SCA™) trains communication partners to reinforce the competence of people with aphasia and support them in conversation.
Key strategies include:
- Speaking in a normal tone of voice
- Acknowledging communication breakdowns and trying to fix them
- Writing key words
- Summarizing messages
- Using gestures or drawings, focusing on one word at a time
- Asking yes/no questions to confirm understanding
By pairing SCA with AAC, communication partners can create more meaningful and successful interactions in everyday life.
The How:
You can use Lingraphica’s AAC device to support conversation by:
- Writing or saving pictures of key words from the Draw app for care partners to reference
- Referencing customized messages in the Talk app or pictures and videos from the Media app when sharing or clarifying a message
Here’s an example of how a care partner can use pre-programmed phrases in the Talk app to quickly confirm needs and avoid communication breakdowns:
Verb Network Strengthening Treatment (VNeST)
The What: Verb Network Strengthening Treatment (VNeST) helps people with moderate-severe aphasia improve word retrieval and sentence formulation by strengthening the connections between verbs and related nouns (Edmonds et al., 2009).
The How:
Use Lingraphica’s Draw app to create an interactive verb-mapping exercise:
- Write a common, active verb at the top of the screen (e.g., buy).
- Ask who can do this action? (e.g., Mom buys…).
- Ask what they buy? (Shoes!).
- Expand the sentence by adding where, why, or when (Mom buys shoes at the mall on weekends.).
You can save the page to the Media app for review or continued practice.
For extra support, use the Card Library in Talk to provide visual choices throughout VNeST.
THERAPY FOR DYSARTHRIA, APRAXIA OF SPEECH, OR DYSPHONIA
Video Assisted Speech Technology (VAST™)
The What:
Video Assisted Speech Technology (VAST™) is a technique designed to help people with apraxia of speech (AoS) improve their speech production. VAST uses motor learning principles and a combination of video-visual, auditory, and written stimulation. This approach starts with familiar tasks (like counting 1-10 or saying the days of the week) and later expands to more complex words and phrases.
The How:
SLPs can implement VAST™ on a Lingraphica device in two ways:
- Personalized Mouth-Model Videos: SLPs or trained care partners can record custom mouth-model videos for target words and phrases using the device’s Media app. Your client can imitate these videos at their own pace for an unlimited number of repetitions.
- TalkPath Therapy™ Articulation Videos: Your client can use the TalkPath Therapy™ app to follow along with articulation videos in the “Speech” section of the app. If your client has access to an iPad, they can also record and replay their speech productions for self-monitoring.
Here’s one example of what VAST can look like on a Lingraphica device:
Visual Feedback When Targeting Vocal Intensity
The What:
Real-time visual feedback can help increase your client’s awareness of their vocal intensity so that they can produce a more functional voice. It can also help them adjust their volume in a measurable way.
The How:
Use the voice recorder for instant feedback or replay recordings when targeting self-monitoring. Lingraphica AAC devices provide real-time visual feedback using the three rings around the microphone as your guide:
- First ring: 10dB
- Second ring: 40dB
- Third ring: 70+dB
Use TalkPath Therapy for Generalizing Dysarthria Strategies
The What:
Sometimes, you just need a lot of stimuli to use in therapy with your clients with dysarthria who are practicing intelligibility strategies. TalkPath Therapy™ is home to 13,500+ speech, language, and cognitive tasks created by SLPs. You can use these tasks to practice at the single-word, phrase, or conversational level (and so much more!).
The How:
A variety of tasks in TalkPath Therapy™ can be adapted for dysarthria therapy. Here are a few quick ideas to get you started:
- In the “Speech” tasks, use the “Articulation Videos” to focus on words with specific phonemes. Use “Phrases” or “Functional Repetition” to target functional phrases.
- In the “Language” tasks, use the “Speaking” category to view flashcards for a variety of different words.
- For spontaneous conversation-level practice, you can have your client talk you through a task in the “Cognition” section, like “General Reasoning” or “Sequencing Phrases.”
Here’s an example of the “Functional Repetition” task in TalkPath Therapy:
THERAPY FOR A VARIETY OF ADULT & PEDIATRIC CLIENTS
Using AAC to Self-Cue Speech (Aided Language Input)
The What:
Aided language input can improve both receptive and expressive language for AAC users of all ages and abilities.
By repeating words and phrases heard from an AAC device, your clients can self-cue their speech in conversation. They can also practice their speech at home in a structured way — with unlimited repetitions!
The How:
You can program customized words and phrases into the Talk app for your client. Your client can listen to these words and phrases (with our without headphones) and repeat them aloud. This can be used in therapy (in Script Training, for example) or for unlimited home practice.
One of our favorite examples of this technique in action is when stroke survivor, Bob Barron, delivered a wedding toast using his Lingraphica AAC device to cue his speech:
Video Modeling for Social Situations and Daily Routines
The What:
Video modeling is a technique that helps people perform communication and daily living skills by watching and imitating recorded demonstrations. Video modeling can be helpful for clients with a variety of cognitive-communication deficits that impact executive function, working memory, and/or language.
The How:
You can use a Lingraphica AAC device to create customized video models that support your client’s communication routines:
1. Record step-by-step videos of a person (or your client) completing each step of a desired task.
2. Store the videos in the Talk or Media app for easy reference.
3. Your client can replay these videos as needed to practice or communicate in everyday scenarios.
Here’s a video model that shows the steps for ordering a pizza:
Use Text Highlighting to Target Literacy and Language Comprehension
The What:
Lingraphica AAC devices combine text-to-speech highlighting and auditory input. These two features have been shown to improve comprehension — particularly for adults with aphasia, agraphia, or alexia and children with reading comprehension difficulties or dyslexia (Wallace et al., 2019; (Knollman-Porter et al., 2019; Brown et al., 2021; Keelor et al., 2020).
The How:
Lingraphica AAC devices support text highlighting with auditory input in multiple ways:
- Talk app: Clients can tap on words and phrases, following along as the text is highlighted and spoken aloud.
- TalkPath News™: Daily news articles feature built-in text highlighting with read-aloud functionality, providing structured reading practice.
You can also adjust the speed at which text is read aloud and the project settings to match your clients’ needs.
Here’s an example of what text highlighting looks like inside TalkPath News™:
Create a Digital Memory Book
The What:
Lingraphica AAC devices can be used to create a personalized digital memory book for clients with primary progressive aphasia (PPA) or other cognitive-linguistic impairments. This can help your clients recall memories, share life experiences, and engage in meaningful conversations.
The How:
You, your clients, and their care partners can create custom memory books using:
- The Talk app: Pair images with written text and recorded voice messages, allowing clients to play back stored memories in their own voice or that of a loved one.
- The Media app: Upload and organize personal photos into categorized albums (for example, family, vacations, hobbies)
- The Draw app: Add emojis, icons, or hand-drawn notes to enhance personalization and comprehension.
Memory books can be updated as needed, making them a flexible tool for communication and reminiscing.
Here’s one example of how a Lingraphica user with PPA shares the story of his fishing adventure in Alaska:
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 888-274-2742 or visit the link below to get started.
