Written by Mike Price, OT
You may not realize it, but we all use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) daily, from a shoulder shrug to indicate indifference to a thumbs-up to show solidarity. For individuals who cannot speak, AAC devices offer essential communication tools that help reduce isolation and support development.
 | 1) Talkables Visual Message Communicators by Enabling Devices View Product |
Selecting the appropriate AAC device requires understanding your child’s strengths and limitations and a basic comprehension of the various AAC methodologies and technologies. It's crucial to rely on an experienced speech-language pathologist (SLP) who can assist in decision-making and work with your child’s healthcare and therapy team to find the most appropriate AAC support.
Key considerations include assessing your child’s cognitive and physical abilities, developing fine motor skills, identifying what motivates them to communicate, and the most important vocabulary for their needs. Here are some of the most important features and types of AAC to consider:
Referring to how letters, words, sentences, and phrases are organized in the AAC device’s communication software, choosing the correct language system will support your child in reaching their full communication potential. While some systems rely mostly on the alphabet for older children who can spell their thoughts, other systems represent words and phrases using icons, pictures, or symbols for younger children unable to spell and read.
It’s often recommended by SLPs to select a system that allows the transition from learning first words to more complex communication, enabling the device to ‘grow with your child’ as their language develops and expands through the years.
Offering various alternate access options to enable children with physical impairments to operate the device, AAC equipment generally provides two basic means of access, direct and indirect selection. This diversity of selection methods ensures that even children with severe limitations can operate and communicate with an AAC device.
Direct selection methods facilitate immediate contact with the device’s display. These methods include touch using a finger, hand, toe, or stylus. Direct selection formats also include mousing with a joystick, trackball mouse, head-mounted mouse, or eye gaze boards, where the user directs their gaze to a specific phrase, word, or symbol to make a selection.
Some AAC devices offer indirect selection methods, which use specialized hardware or software to define input from a source other than a physical keyboard. Switch scanning is the most common indirect selection method, with the user activating a switch when the needed letter, word, or symbol is highlighted. A wide variety of adaptable switches correspond to the user’s ability, including pneumatic sip or puff, specific movement, squeezing, and the relaxation and contraction of a body part.
Also known as Voice Output Communication Aids (VOCAs), the augmentative and alternative communication devices that produce sound come in several different types to suit a wide variety of special needs:
How the AAC device will be used will determine what accessories to look for. If the child uses the device at a desk or while sitting in a wheelchair, it will be important to add mounting equipment to attach and position the device on a wheelchair or desktop. A carrying case would be helpful for easier portability and protection if it's a handheld device. Keyguards and touch guides can help children with unsteady hands, while larger-sized sound tags are easier for kids with low vision. Larger activation areas and/or being switch-adaptable can greatly benefit youngsters with spasticity and low control.
Because it needs to withstand a child’s rough handling, the AAC device you choose for your child must be designed for durability. Be sure to select robust formats that can travel with your child to therapy sessions, school, playdates, and other destinations. AAC support should always be available for communication wherever the child may roam.
Augmentative and alternative communication helps supplement or compensate for impairments in speech and language production in children and adults. Abbreviated as AAC, this type of communication is considered augmentative when used to add to existing speech and alternative when used in place of absent or non-functional speech. Falling under the broader umbrella of assistive technology, AAC can also be used for speech-language comprehension deficits and impairments in understanding written language.
AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. This can take the form of unaided AAC and aided AAC. Unaided AAC requires some level of motor control and includes body language, fingerspelling, and facial expressions, while aided AAC utilizes some kind of external low-tech or high-tech electronic or non-electronic device or tool, such as communication boards, single/sequential message devices, and recordable/speaking tools
Augmentative communication complements existing speech, using various tools and techniques to help children and adults better express their needs, wants, feelings, thoughts, and ideas. One example of augmentative communication is manual signs or gestures, using body language and facial expressions to communicate more effectively.
Some of the most popular augmentative communication devices include the Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS), which uses symbols and pictures that speak when the icon is pressed, such as the popular Logan ProxTalker. Other favorites, like the single message and sequential message voice output communication aids (VOCAs), can record customized messages to play that can be conveniently re-recorded as needed.
Adults and children with limitations or impairments in speech or verbalization, language, writing, or reading often use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. People with congenital disorders such as cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, apraxia, neurological differences like autism, and other conditions that cause communication disabilities often derive great benefits from using AAC devices. Speech-generating devices can also help some users develop better speech and help kids learn language and reading comprehension skills.
The latest scientific research has demonstrated that AAC devices do NOT impede natural speech development. In fact, the introduction of AAC support correlates with improving natural speech, even when there is no speech therapy. Most experts recommend a combination of speech therapy and the use of augmentative and alternative communication devices to facilitate the best patient outcomes for children and adults challenged with various speech-language disorders.
 | Logan LoganTech AAC Device Package View Product |
Well-deserving of its number 5 spot on our list, the Logan ProxTalker AAC Device Package by LoganTech is one of the most well-loved and often-talked-about augmentative and alternative communication devices available today. Utilizing RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology, the ProxTalker is the first picture communication system actually to talk. This exciting mid-tech AAC device retrieves vocabulary stored on sound tags to produce real, audible words, storing up to 1,000 minutes of 8-second sound tags.
Super easy to use, the ProxTalker doesn’t require software or a PC, just pick a tag, place it on a button, press it, and it speaks! Its inbuilt microphone allows you to record your own tags, or you can choose a female or male voice to speak a wide range of pre-recorded sound tags in multiple language options; the package comes with 80 pre-recorded tags, along with an add-on option of pre-programmed educational sound tags that are perfect for school and classroom applications.
As the most advanced and adaptable recorded speech communication device, the LoganTech ProxTalker is constructed robust and water-resistant to ensure long-lasting functionality and performance. Battery-powered, with adjustable volume, this unique AAC device weighs less than 5 pounds and comes with a backpack carrier, making it lightweight and portable for easy carrying and transport. It’s also conveniently wheelchair or wall-mountable in its binder format. Providing exceptional benefits for children living with cognitive, physical, and communicative challenges, the ProxTalker helps them communicate and develop intelligible speech. This unrivaled AAC support helps break down barriers to allow children full inclusion and participation in education, leisure, and independent living.
 | Eye-Talk Eye Controlled Communicator Bundle View Product |
The Eye-Talk Eye Controlled Communicator Bundle by Enabling Devices is our number 4 choice. This is a versatile AAC device designed to facilitate communication for nonverbal users. By looking at words or pictures on the clear plastic frame, users can make simple choices easily interpreted by observers tracking their eye gaze. This bundle includes a clip clamp, making it convenient to mount the device on tabletops, wheelchair trays, or bed rails. The Eye-Talk Bundle is compact, measuring 17 inches in length, 11.5 inches in width, and just 1/16 inch in height, and it weighs a mere 2.5 pounds, ensuring ease of use and portability.
 | GoTalk 9+ Lite Touch AAC Device by Attainment Company View Product |
Our number 3 choice, The GoTalk 9+ Lite Touch AAC Device by Attainment Company is a versatile and user-friendly tool that supports active communication for individuals with speech pathologies. With the ability to record up to 45 personalized phrases across five levels, each with nine buttons, this device facilitates efficient and effective communication. Its Lite Touch design enhances button sensitivity, making it accessible for users of all ages and strength levels while extending the product's lifespan by reducing button wear. Additionally, the GoTalk 9+ Lite Touch is compact and lightweight, making it easy to transport and store, and features lockable levels and recordings to prevent unintentional changes.
 | QuickTalker FT Assistive Communicator View Product |
The QuickTalker FT Assistive Communicator by Ablenet, our number 2 pick, is a lightweight, portable AAC device perfect for speech therapy. It provides up to six minutes of recordings in three versions, offering an engaging and easy-to-use communication solution for beginning communicators. This device features common-sense controls for switching between five recording levels and comes with 7, 12, or 23 message locations, depending on the model. Its durable construction, built-in handle, and symbol storage make it both rugged and convenient to transport. Additionally, the Feather Touch feature requires 70% less force to activate, enhancing its usability for individuals with varying strength levels.
 | Talkables Visual Message Communicators by Enabling Devices View Product |
Our top choice, the Talkables Visual Message Communicators by Enabling Devices, is an excellent tool for facilitating communication. These devices feature a compact design and built-in icon holders, making them easy to use and highly effective for simple communication. The Talkables series including the Talkable II, III, IV, and the 12-Level Talkable IV have different message-recording capacities, each equipped with additional jacks that allow the simultaneous activation of toys or devices for immediate reinforcement. Made with durable 3D-printed materials, these communicators ensure longevity and consistent performance.
Children who are unable to communicate and express themselves cannot meaningfully participate in many activities and are at a greater risk for cognitive, emotional, and social developmental delays. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices deliver crucial communication support, providing an immediate connection for nonverbal children or those who are struggling to learn or regain speech abilities.
Available in a wide array of options, from low-tech, non-speaking AAC devices like eye-gaze boards to high-tech digital AAC devices like dynamic AAC software for smartphones, tablets, and computers, this equipment is diverse to more effectively fulfill the differing special needs of its users.
All AAC devices we included in our review are great for various needs, but the Talkables Visual Message Communicators by Enabling Devices stand out as our number 1 pick. Its versatile models, built-in icon holders, additional jacks for simultaneous device activation, and durable 3D-printed construction make it an excellent choice for facilitating effective and simple communication.
We invite you to peruse our comprehensive blog, Caregiver University, to find more valuable information for special needs families and great caregiving support!
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Co-Founder of Rehabmart and an Occupational Therapist since 1993. Mike has spent his professional career working in multiple areas of Occupational Therapy, including pediatrics, geriatrics, hand therapy, ergonomics and inpatient / outpatient rehabilitation. Mike enjoys writing articles that help people solve complex therapeutic problems and make better product choices.
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