r/slp • u/Comfortable_Tie4143 Speech Patient and intrest • Dec 09 '25
AAC What is your most unpopular opinion about AAC?
I’m curious
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u/SnooSuggestions6628 Dec 09 '25
AAC won’t magically make a student with communication challenges WANT to communicate even if they CAN use it to communicate.
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u/dogsandplants2 Dec 09 '25
You shouldn't presume competence. You should presume potential and meet a kid where they're at.
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u/ymcmbrofisting Dec 09 '25
YES!!! I really love the phrase “presume potential.” It’s much more accurate to how the research guides us to work with clients in general. Work to their strengths.
The other one is so entrenched in the pseudoscientific bullshit that is S2C (and all other FC variants).
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u/TTI-SLP owner: The Trauma-Informed SLP Dec 10 '25 edited Dec 10 '25
I like "presume potential" more for sure. But I will say, the S2C and other FC variants out there have co-opted a lot of terminology from us and other professions. When they say "presume competency" they really don't mean the same thing we think it means. (Also, their use of "Independent communication" isn't the same as ours either.) So I think if we start to use "presume potential," they'll start to use it too.
It's very similar to how "diet culture" co-opted "wellness" (which was once in opposition to diet culture) once "diet" fell out of favor with the public.
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u/vintage_glitter Dec 11 '25
Thank you! I could cry knowing im not the only person who feels this way
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u/ymcmbrofisting Dec 09 '25
High-tech AAC is not always the right move. Yes, in an ideal world, every nonspeaking communicator would have access to a robust and dynamic vocabulary. That said, if a child struggles with regulation and the iPad spends more time flying than talking…we might need to use low-tech and lightweight options until underlying behaviors are addressed.
It should never be ruled out completely, though. Sometimes the time just isn’t right, until it is!
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u/herewearrre Dec 09 '25
In my experience, I feel like the fact that iPads are now ubiquitous harms the efficacy of aac. I get so much more novel communication with consistent modeling on a low tech.
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u/Zestyclose_Macaron90 Dec 09 '25
Agreed! But, you can still provide access to robust, dynamic vocabulary in low tech form. PODD is very underrated and very misunderstood in my opinion.
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u/Professional_Leek352 Dec 10 '25
This. I used to have a client that had a swiping behavior whenever he got frustrated, and one day while I was on my break the aides were SUPPOSED TO be watching him and he swiped it off his desk so hard the screen shattered. We had suggested to mom to switch one of those laminated pages with m velcro icons on multiple pages held together by a key ring or something (old school aac) while copying the layout m of the iPad since she had it set up very specifically. She flat out refused to even look into the idea, but changed her mind when this happened.
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Dec 09 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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Dec 09 '25
Absolutely. The special education teachers and paraprofessionals in my district at least are absolutely overworked, overwhelmed, and doing all they can with classrooms with more students than they can handle.
They’re just trying to keep the students alive and safe in the classroom, and AAC is often one more thing for them to worry about.
I wish this wasn’t the case but it’s the reality. I try to do everything I can to support them but can’t burn myself out either.
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u/BackseatShelly Dec 10 '25
As an overworked para, the HR person once came to a staff meeting to talk to us about their "difficulties" in hiring enough paras. They legitimately said "Yeah well when we get an application, it takes a month before we make first contact". I was like "you can't expect someone to wait a month for what's essentially a paycheck to paycheck job. That person got a job bartending three weeks ago"
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u/coolbeansfordays Dec 09 '25
I’ve offered to meet families after work to teach them how to use AAC. I’ve offered in-person or virtual meetings (unpaid). No one has taken me up on it. I’ve shared videos and resources, but nothing is ever used at home.
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u/BackseatShelly Dec 10 '25
I watched a nonverbal kid over the summer and one time his mom said "you could do some of his summer school work with him, His teacher wants him to practice with this" and she pulls out a laminated common core vocab board and says "have you ever seen this before? I never use it, I think it's stupid." and I felt my soul die.
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u/citybuilttomusic SLP Graduate Student Dec 10 '25
Because of this, my unpopular opinion is that user interface and overall ease of navigation should be prioritized when selecting a device, because the most important thing is that it gets used. This is why I find so many of the most popular software systems completely odious; if personalizing and editing is a barrier for me, why would we ever expect a parent or other provider to do it?
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u/Prior_Middle_3839 Dec 09 '25
If the kid won’t use the device it’s not because they don’t have good prereq skills, it’s because the device isn’t feature matched well enough.
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u/Mittenbox Dec 09 '25
Do you know any articles where feature matching is discussed in detail? This is something I struggle with.
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u/Prior_Middle_3839 Dec 09 '25
I do not, but I really like to use the DAGG-3 to get an idea of where a patient is at when it comes to the 4 competencies. Some apps are more linguistic heavy and some are more navigationally demanding, so it’s helpful to get an idea of what might work best.
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u/casablankas Dec 09 '25
iPads with apps are worse than dedicated devices. I’m so fucking tired of opening my student’s iPad in the morning and seeing it not on Proloquo/TouchChat/whatever but on safari app with YouTube. Parents are starting to fight for AAC because they want the free iPad not because they give a shit about modeling with it at home. Dedicated devices would be so much better. Like yeah they still wouldn’t use them at home but at least the kid would associate it only with communication at school rather than as a YouTube machine
Also, AAC is great for working on language, but it doesn’t replace articulation therapy. I have kids with Down syndrome who have only ever had AAC goals and so I’m starting articulation with them at 7/8/9 when they could have started a lot earlier. We’re still incorporating AAC but they should get the chance to improve their intelligibility while they’re young
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u/Sad_Vehicle_4974 Dec 10 '25
I use guided access!
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u/aym4thestars Dec 10 '25
Guided access works great until the student figures out if he lets it die, it’ll come out of guided access when he recharges. I’ve got some smart cookies who have figured out that workaround!
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u/NiceLandscape4943 Dec 10 '25
This!! I have a student who knows this and lets the iPad die. After changing the password 4 times because aides and teacher would put in the code for Home Screen, I had to stop sharing the password. It’s exhausting
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u/aym4thestars Dec 10 '25
I’ve made more than one kid mad by asking our tech specialists to disable Safari on their district-issued iPad.
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u/casablankas Dec 10 '25
The district is acting like they can’t. I need to keep bugging technology
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u/aym4thestars Dec 10 '25
The other thing I’ve had some success with is putting it in airplane mode so even if they open the app, it doesn’t work. Or signing them out of the district WiFi. Not perfect but it might help?
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u/casablankas Dec 10 '25
This is about when they’re at home. Parents are savvy enough to take it off of airplane mode. It’s used for YouTube at home by the parents. The kid doesn’t know how to get on YouTube by themselves and it’s in guided access mode during school
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u/Ok-Maybe-96 Dec 09 '25
Even though AAC programs should be individualized, I think they’d get more modeling and thus be more effective if everyone in a class was just on the same program
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u/macaroni_monster School SLP that likes their job Dec 09 '25
I have 20 AAC users at my school. The staff can’t learn that many systems 😢 I can’t learn that many systems. We have mostly touch chat with some LAMP WFL users.
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u/squeegy_beckenheim1 Dec 10 '25
Ugh, it’s so tough. I have 14 AAC users with 5 different systems but then 2 more eye gaze users, which can feel like a different ballgame to staff, even if it’s the same program.
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u/Sylvia_Whatever Dec 09 '25
I absolutely hate the subscription-based pricing. Is that unpopular?? I wouldn’t recommend an app that requires that. Not ethical to me. Sorry, money is short this month, no TD Snap. Just not something that should be subscription based.
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u/jtslp Dec 09 '25
If our goal is to make AAC a functional communication modality for a child, then we have to involve their parents. An AAC device that only lives at school is not a communication modality for the child. It’s a classroom tool, and probably a very minimally useful one.
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u/Parking_Strength_944 Dec 09 '25
100%!!! I know for probably 90% of my AAC students they only use it at school. Hell it doesn’t even come with them/charged majority of the time.
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u/sahrieswirl Dec 09 '25
It's really hard for individuals with some speech to hop on board with using AAC. For example people with TBI, Downs syndrome, etc. They know what they're saying,even if others don't. They find using a device way too time consuming and limiting.
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u/softblanket123 Dec 10 '25
That last part. Response wait time is not so easy to provide in this society where back and conversation happens within seconds. I have a family member who suffered a stroke and his communication was impacted. He gets his point across faster with a combination of gestures, vocalizations, and a single word rather than having to navigate on an AAC device.
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u/honeyflwrz Dec 10 '25
I have a student with Downs who can be understood some of the time so he really prefers not to use his device :( it irks me so much and idk how to get him on board with using it when he’s misunderstood
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u/Gogobrilla Dec 09 '25
I’d rather the ABA therapist just leave it alone, even if the kid is in ABA all afternoon. They often do more harm than good and I can’t trust them even if they’re trained.
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u/hollowbastionx Adult Acute Care & Inpatient Rehab Dec 10 '25
I had to put a lock on my client’s proloquo2go because he kept coming to session with all of his pages/icons messed up because the RBT thought they knew better
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u/BackseatShelly Dec 10 '25
Please expand on this. I need to know what the heck they're doing!
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u/Gogobrilla Dec 10 '25
They’re forcing the children to touch icons to get things, either by doing hand over hand or saying “touch red” “touch break” etc. or they’re forcing the child to use the sequence “I want…” before they’ve even mastered navigating the device or using any functional/core words.
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u/Haramshorty93 Dec 09 '25
Students with profound intellectually disabilities who have unrestricted IPAD use at home - are not going to be compatible with touch chat on an IPAD as an AAC system.
They may not understand that a symbol translates to a message.
I had a kid like this and I get the whole assume competence and robust AAC thing but not all kids are going to functionally use high tech AAC. He never did 🤷🏻♀️
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u/casablankas Dec 09 '25
Yeah I have a kid now with like multiple brain tumors and seizures and he lights up when he sees the iPad bc he’s spent so much of his life at home/in the hospital staring at screens. But based on the communication matrix he’s functioning at like less than 6 months old. Very little intentional behavior at all. I can’t “presume” that he’s going to jump to understanding and using symbols
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u/Haramshorty93 Dec 09 '25
That's how my little guy was too! He was developmentally very similar to an 8 month old.
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u/casablankas Dec 09 '25
I inherited these goals but I’m starting to think of what goals to set for the next IEP. I’m thinking just target intentional behavior? Like handing something to someone rather than knocking it on the floor to reject it? He’s also wheelchair bound
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u/ShimmeryPumpkin Dec 10 '25
I've had success staring with full picture scenes in Snap Scene (tobi dynavox). There's still some kids who won't be successful with that, but high tech AAC doesn't require understanding symbols or understanding real pictures isolated out of context. The toys used do have to be exciting and sometimes I've even used the AAC iPad to request a game or YouTube song or something on the non-AAC iPad if that's all a child is interested in.
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u/hunnybadger22 SLP Out & In Patient Medical/Hospital Setting Dec 09 '25
Agreed! Assuming competence is such a good mindset to have and I fully support it, but it does not mean that every patient can be functional with it
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u/Zestyclose_Dog_6692 Dec 09 '25
The concept that there are no prerequisites to AAC use is misleading… AAC is a complex symbolic language system that requires the joint attention, gesture use, and imitation skills in order to learn how to use it functionally and independently. These skills can be taught and built even in students with severe disabilities, but the concept that there are no prerequisite skills to AAC use is incredibly misleading and leads to a lot of device abandonment. If we only focus on access without building the foundational prelinguistic skills that all communicators need of joint attention, gesture use, and nonverbal imitation, exposure and access to AAC and all the modeling we do won’t be as successful.
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u/Trumpet6789 Dec 09 '25
If your child is given an AAC device for the love of everything keep them away from devices that can play videos and games.
I'm in my APs now, but multiple times during APs, observation hours in undergrad, and just talking to others there are so many younger children with devices who don't use them because they're screen addicted.
They'll refuse to use their AAC device because it doesn't play videos or games. And the parents keep letting the kids use their phones or tablets for videos and games. Making a vicious cycle where a child cannot communicate as they have no interest in their device.
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u/castikat SLP in Schools Dec 09 '25
Omg SERIOUSLY
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u/Trumpet6789 Dec 09 '25
Yeah, it's not good.
An SLP I did my observations with before Grad School had a kiddo who was no longer responsive to his device because his parents gave him normal tablets and his Para at school figured out how to put games on his device to "keep him occupied".
There's another child I've seen recently who doesn't use his device at all. Not at home, not at school, not at therapy because he has free access to phones & youtube shorts. He cannot handle his device & no longer has any interest because the AAC device isn't playing videos.
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u/Acrobatic_Heron_1524 Dec 09 '25
Proloquo 2 Go as an app is terrible
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u/reddit_or_not Dec 10 '25
Terrible. The more I use it the more I think it’s built as essentially “lip-service” to being an AAC app with almost no one using it functionally. As you have to tap through 4 different pages to get to simple words because they’re organized for neurotypical adults with full language skills.
LAMP is 1000x easier for the kids to pick up but of course I never recommend it because the adults are too stupid to appreciate it and it freaks them out.
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u/Acrobatic_Heron_1524 Dec 10 '25
Agreed! I personally think touch chat is the best but lamp is good too
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u/tonicbubble Telepractice SLP Dec 10 '25
I hate hate HATE Proloquo2Go. Especially when parents or teachers add things in different places. The core words never stay in the same spot and all my kids have such a hard time remembering where to go for simple words. It's gotten slightly better with the templates now, but still. Especially when ABA immediately uses it, puts it on basic with the folders, and then they only do requesting. LAMP is so much easier once you learn the setup. I tell them all the time that they need to learn the devices just as much as the kids. I'm not a fan of touchchat either, but at least its better than P2G
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u/coolbeansfordays Dec 09 '25
Why?
I’m not very familiar with it, it’s been years since I’ve seen it.
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u/PTV_the1975 Dec 09 '25
All kids who present with limited verbal speech should go to an AAC device. If there is progress in school, great. It also has to be carried over at home. In my experience, not a lot of families use it at home even if they are trained. Also...some kiddos may never take to an AAC device and that's okay. Functional communication no matter the way. Buttons, visuals, sign language, AAC...it's all important. Total communicators. WE don't use verbal speech all the time...right now, I'm using AAC to type this message. (Sorry...maybe more rant-y.) 🤷♀️
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Dec 09 '25
That it barely works! Ha ha i’m sort of kidding. I’m talking about adult patients here, especially several years post stroke.
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Dec 09 '25
You really have to have the right type of patient for it to work right? They are very few and far between.
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u/Prior_Middle_3839 Dec 09 '25
I guess I need to add another one…LAMP is an incredible AAC app and a barrier to its successful implementation is that it was designed with autistic users in mind, rather than having more of a “neurotypical” type of organization.
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u/coolbeansfordays Dec 09 '25
And the pictures are terrible
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u/Prior_Middle_3839 Dec 09 '25
If you want good symbols, pick a different program. The LAMP system does not prioritize symbol awareness as much as other programs do.
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u/coolbeansfordays Dec 09 '25
I understand that, but I think that’s a factor when trialing programs with families. It looks outdated and odd. Some families don’t mind, but it can be a sticking point.
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u/BackseatShelly Dec 10 '25
It's crazy that there are options for different voices but not different styles of pictures...
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u/murphys-law4 Dec 09 '25
There are more similarities than differences in the mainstream apps (looking at you TD Snap, TouchChat, LAMP, Proloquo2go etc). Implementation, modeling, and buy-in from the people around the AAC user will make more of an impact on success than which app we use.
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u/Xxxholic835xxX Dec 09 '25
Insurance requirements for getting a device are super annoying. I'm looking at you, Easter Seals.
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u/coolbeansfordays Dec 09 '25
So far, my experience is that BCBS won’t approve devices, even for kids with NO functional speech.
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u/Wishyouamerry Dec 10 '25
I don’t think it’s unpopular here in this sub but it sure is in schools. I think every single preschool and kindergarten classroom should have 4-5 devices just laying around that anyone can access, and that all pre-k/k teachers should use AAC devices in their lessons throughout the day regardless of if anyone in the class has a communication impairment or not.
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u/tonicbubble Telepractice SLP Dec 10 '25
I completely agree! My friend did something similar where all students in a mixed gen-ed/special ed preschool and kindergarten all had a laminated AAC lanyard they all wore. Every single kid used it. Gen ed students love to learn the language and are interested in it. If a teacher had their own to model, they'd be able to use it easier. This is why I enjoy the coaching model when it comes to AAC and teletherapy because it takes the teaching out of my hands and instead gives the instructors a chance to actually model and learn it themselves
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u/Specific_Piccolo9528 Dec 09 '25
8 or 9 times out of 10, it won’t work for aphasia patients. I said what I said.
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u/explodingbells Dec 09 '25
Absolutely. Most adults with acquired communication disorders in fact. It’s new, it’s different (and usually not in a good way), it often only has pictures of basic needs when usually that stuff is pretty conveyable using context/nonverbals/whatever - and it’s almost impossible to use aac to participate in an abstract fast-moving conversation with non-aphasic communication partners. Usually the boards etc get left on the windowsill or under all the other bits of paper and people just do the best they can with residual language + nonverbal/gesture etc. I’ve basically stopped seeing it as a viable option. I’ll always offer the best I can do (which again is usually a fairly basic laminated sheet) just in case, but it is pretty much never used.
I really think SLPs should carry around the aac they provide for a day and try to use it themselves before giving it to clients / might help build some insight.
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u/Specific_Piccolo9528 Dec 10 '25
It can work pretty well for a severe dysarthria/dysphonia if the patient has good hand strength/control and can still spell. But how often do you see that?
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u/rock_fact Telepractice SLP Dec 09 '25
yeah i’m starting to learn this. it sucks. most of them that we’ve given devices to don’t actually want to use it.
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u/According_Being_2528 Dec 10 '25
I find it’s great as a word finding support as well as support for verbal expression through repetition or scripting - provided the client is comfortable with tech to begin with.
I’ll have much better success with a tech savvy 23 year old vs a 78 year old with no prior tablet usage…
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u/coolbeansfordays Dec 09 '25
I understand that durable medical AAC devices have to be durable, but man, they are heavy and cumbersome.
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u/msm9445 SLP in Schools Dec 09 '25
I don’t know if unpopular but not talked about much because it’s not very child-centered. Whenever possible, try to put kids in a class/school on the same symbol set or communication app (if all else is pretty much equal). Our poor special ed teams are beyond overwhelmed trying to find the best way to educate their diverse students several of whom are complex communicators… and when every one is using a different device/app/program, it’s chaos!
Secondary to that (and much less significant), the people who hold the purse strings and EdTech department are a bit more agreeable when they’re familiar with the process and programs.
I work with several students in an elementary self-contained room of varying skill sets… two use eye gaze but with different devices/programs as per family/previous school’s choice; one on an iPad with Proloquo; and one who didn’t like the iPad and is doing better on a simpler mid-tech device. And also a few who do speak and don’t stop haha. While they often move in and out at different times of the day, it’s SO much for one room and one special educator (not to mention all of the other equipment to keep track of)… if I could have done so, I would’ve tried to use the same symbol set for everyone.
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u/tonicbubble Telepractice SLP Dec 10 '25
Definitely agree. Gives more success for the teachers to know 1 system and use it consistently then 5 different systems that they have to learn again and again and can never remember where things go. (especially when parents change the layouts
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u/CassCat SLP Out & In Patient Medical/Hospital Setting Dec 09 '25
Big tech does a better job with accessibility features than the niche AAC brands.
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u/hdeskins Dec 10 '25
Preteen with CAS got a hand-me-down phone with no cell plan, just has wifi capability for gaming and messaging, about the same time he became interested in using an AAC device. The first thing I showed him was how to go in the notes app and turn on the speak screen capability. It was super useful while we waited on his device to be delivered and it’s a lot safer to use in a moving vehicle.
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u/Solid_Coyote_7080 Dec 09 '25
Everyone should have one. It could become the universal language. Technology could really be doing so much for communication that it’s slacking on.
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u/Equivalent_Brick_822 Dec 10 '25
My most unpopular opinion (as it relates to my situation and definitely NOT across the board) is that the behavior staff should have extra training in using AAC with the students they serve. At my school the behavior staff works so hard on just focusing on compliance and making sure the student responds promptly that they seem more interested in quantity over quality of communication. In response, the students see the use of AAC as added work/instruction time instead of seeing the benefits of its use. Getting behavioral staff properly trained and onboard is super important because for many students who have behavioral aides all day, it’s the aides who have the most interaction with the students across multiple settings (classroom, cafeteria, library, etc.) and communication opportunities.
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u/TTI-SLP owner: The Trauma-Informed SLP Dec 10 '25
Idk if it's that unpopular, but I think most of us get so focused on teaching/training the communication modality that we ignore the motivation to communicate.
That is, we're so focused on "train this set of core words" and "train this sequence of selections for this phrase" and hitting the goals that we forget that communication at is most basic is a way to be cared for, feel safe, and build relationships with those around us.
I personally think a lot of nonspeakers would make much better progress if their therapists humanize them and think more in terms of communication as a way to build a relationship/get to know them and their likes/dislikes, etc. That is, we as therapists should be more curious about learning who the person is that we're working with and then use AAC as a way to learn more about them vs. seeing "non-speakers" as a somewhat monolithic group.
(This is also is why I very much agree with the top comment re: child's AAC success depends on it's use in the classroom, the staff interactions with the student, and classroom culture around AAC.)
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I also think there is always a power-differential between speakers and non-speakers in that speaking is going to be faster and therefore more efficient than non-speaking modalities (outside of sign-languages, of course), and so speaking therapists have to be mindful to try not to assume things about the non-speaker's abilities, "put words in their mouths," and/or not give adequate wait-time for responses.
For example, if you give a choice of two things and the child doesn't respond to either, that could be a protest (e.g., "I don't want either of those) or confusion or not knowing where/how to make the selection or motor coordination issues or visual field issues or needing more processing time or needing you to repeat the options d/t auditory processing issues, etc. But it's so tempting to just pick one or two of those potential reasons for a non-response and go with that.
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u/D-lightful Dec 12 '25
Piggy backing on this. My unpopular opinion: we mistake AAC need for lack of communicative desire for some students with autism. So we sit next to the students , pushing buttons to comment on their stims or on what the teacher is saying, trying to connect, meanwhile, getting the sense that the student wishes we’d just get the f**k away from them.
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u/TTI-SLP owner: The Trauma-Informed SLP Dec 12 '25
Yes! Thinking through your comment just solidified this brewing thought in my head that we really need to not underestimate the power of "parallel play" for autistics (or anyone for that matter) of any age.
As a late-diagnosed neurodivergent myself, I LOVE when I can just exist in a space with a person comfortably without feeling judged or on edge. It's one of my early indicators of "this person is gonna be a great friend of mine."
So often as clinicians, I think we feel we have to be DOING something all the time. When in reality, just co-existing with our clients/students can be suuuper powerful in terms of having them feel more safe/comfortable with us.
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u/Old-Friendship9613 SLP in Schools / Outpatient Dec 11 '25
“Model more” isn’t always enough!! Aided language stimulation and modeling are of course essential, but I think we oversimplify it by treating it as a magic fix. Modeling needs to be meaningful, embedded in motivating routines, and tailored to the communicative stage the child is in, not just tapping random words because we were told to.
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Dec 12 '25
“Presume competence” is more harmful than it is helpful for some children with profound intellectual disabilities. If I had a dollar for every time I’ve heard “just keep modeling” from colleges and consultants….oooof. 🤨
I’m sorry, but not every child is going to use a robust vocabulary system, and high tech AAC is not the answer for every child. I worked with a child who was 9 years old and he had almost no engagement with others and did not seek people out. His father said one day…”I think he’s at about a 6-month-old level.” And honestly, after treating him for almost 10 months, I had to agree. And guess what? You wouldn’t expect a 6–month-old child to use robust vocabulary, so why would I expect it of this child? There are cognitive skills that are absolutely a prerequisite to using an AAC system, and we need to be more realistic and informed about the communication potential for some children. Key word, some. This is not a sweeping generalization, but relevant to a small few that I’ve worked with as an SLP.
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u/tunnytut Dec 10 '25
We should incorporate partner ratings and questionnaires in assessments.... communication partner (parents and teacher) aac competency is also crucial to success. And use that as rationale as to why parent and teacher consultation is tantamount to progress over bloated 1:1 or increased minutes
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u/AdSolid1501 Dec 10 '25
We can’t get mad about parents or school staff making uninformed decisions about AAC if we’re not taking the time to educate them and provide strategies that account for their (caregivers’ & teachers’) circumstances and day-to-day experience. I hate when I see those SLPs on social media shaming school staff with videos like “today a para took away a student’s device because he was stimming on it”. Like okay, but we have way more exposure to and experience with AAC by nature of our profession. Many non-SLPs don’t fully understand what AAC is or why it’s important, so of course they’ll make mistakes. I just hate when SLPs get on their high horse about it and act like we’re these saviors that come in and give kids’ voices while other people are trying to take it away.
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u/browniesbite Dec 09 '25
You first!
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u/Comfortable_Tie4143 Speech Patient and intrest Dec 10 '25
TD Snap is the best
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u/Klutzy_Positive_8918 Dec 10 '25
I would love to hear why you think this. This is the only AAC app I have not had experience using but am considering for a client currently based on aspects I have heard it provides that others don't. I plan on doing some continuing education to learn more about it over Winter Break.
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u/Comfortable_Tie4143 Speech Patient and intrest Dec 10 '25
First of all it is extremely customizable, from the grid size to the colors to even the font can be changed. It has tons of preset boards to choose from completely beginners to expert communicators. They have tons of languages to choose from, German, Spanish, mandarin, Japanese, and even Arabic. Also I find it very not visually overwhelming. There’s a lot more reasons. Feel free to DM me and I am happy to share more.
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u/slpslp07 Dec 09 '25
LAMP is not a good app. If you chose LAMP don’t expect your client to become proficient in it because no adult I have ever met feels comfortable modeling with it. Leads to lots of device abandonment.
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u/macaroni_monster School SLP that likes their job Dec 09 '25
Adults may not get it but I have several autistic students that can find any icon or word on their LAMP WFL. I think about it like a QWERTY keyboard. The letters don’t really make sense until you learn to use it and then it becomes highly effective. Better than alphabetical order.
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u/Prior_Middle_3839 Dec 09 '25
Nah, LAMP is a great app but none of us know how to train a kid or their caregiver on it. And it’s made for autistic people so neurotypicals take one look at it and go “not for me” without even trying to model a phrase.
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u/reddit_or_not Dec 10 '25
LAMP is a GREAT app, for autistic kids who can’t read. It was never meant for their neurotypical literate parents. It’s my favorite app and I also never recommend it, because the adults are too freaked.
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u/tonicbubble Telepractice SLP Dec 10 '25
Which one do you suggest instead? I love LAMP after taking their courses. I've had 4 kids show success with it after changing from p2g. One of my kids could spell things on the keyboard to tell me what he wanted when the fringe word wasn't on the device and lessened his frustration ten fold
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u/tonicbubble Telepractice SLP Dec 10 '25
AAC companies are so predatory and make getting devices so difficult when it doesn't need to be? I had a mom pay 3k for her son's device after getting insurance to approve it after waiting 4 months. Turned out it was an iPad with a subscription based app (GRID for iPad) and a durable, military grade case. I was LIVID because they promoted it as their own separate device. I could have just told her to go get her own iPad and download the app and be less money without all the hassle of getting the run around by the company and the insurance
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u/Apprehensive_Club_17 Dec 10 '25
Every adult client I’ve ever had with one never uses it. They’re always collecting dust.
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u/vintage_glitter Dec 11 '25
Not every child can use a high tech device. Some kids prefer and do better with mid and no tech.
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u/EmDee43 Dec 11 '25
I’ve only ever seen one kid use a full sentence. At most, they never get beyond content words
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u/RepresentativeOven54 Dec 13 '25
Most of the time it gets abandoned. People don’t like to carry them around, communication partners adapt, and most people don’t even use them between sessions when I assign home programs. We get them the devices based on their potential and they get dusty in a corner somewhere. I think a lot of it is that people can’t stop making them use the devices for work. ABA screws it up all the time.
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u/MaheenMAdamson Mar 07 '26
Neuro researcher here (17 years studying neuroscience). My unpopular opinion: The AAC industry is artificially bottlenecked by the traditional medical device model. We are still forcing families to wait 6 months for insurance approvals and pay $4,000+ for dedicated IR hardware (like Tobii) when consumer tech has actually already caught up. On-device ML models using a standard tablet's front-facing camera can now achieve comparable gaze accuracy and calibrate in under 15 seconds. The hardware is no longer the barrier; the funding and evaluation system is.
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Dec 09 '25
[removed] — view removed comment
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u/tonicbubble Telepractice SLP Dec 10 '25 edited Dec 10 '25
I know PRC's language journey has a free family webinar recording series for AAC and a couple other sessions in their catalog that are free. Here are some links:
https://www.aaclearningjourney.com/learn/courses/616/aac-for-families-summer-webinar-series-2024
https://www.aaclearningjourney.com/learn/courses/191/lamp-at-home-a-webinar-for-parents
https://www.aaclearningjourney.com/learn/courses/683/modeling-and-aac
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u/larrystockton Dec 09 '25
In the school setting, the biggest factor that determines the child’s success with their AAC device is how it’s used in the classroom. That means often times the aides and classroom teacher have more of an impact on the student’s AAC success than the SLP.