What Are the Benefits of Using High-Tech AAC?

Augmentative and alternative communication AAC systems are used as a communication gateway between your children who needs assistive technology as an alternative communication with their surroundings. AAC devices increase the ability to understand what is being said and used by the child to express what is going on their minds. Their benefits without a doubt show that how important it is to introduce high-tech AAC systems to children with autism. There are many advantages of using a high-tech communication AAC system. In the least, they provide relief for your child that he/she is not the odd-one-out in the room in terms of in terms of basic communicators. Besides from this fundamental plus, there are other benefits to using AAC. The important point is that a method of communication is a right. Otsimo believes that autism education, including AAC, should be democratized and must be available for anyone in need of communicational aid.

Benefits From AAC

AAC communication can be beneficial in every aspect of life. It can improve the speech of AAC users, language development, augment communication, and literacy and increases the quality of work, school, and general life. In contrast to the belief that it hinders language development and negatively affects speech development, it has been proved that it has a positive impact on both. According to a research by Millar, Light, Schlosser (2006), 89% of the participants who are AAC users improved their speech skills. Picture exchanges also has been proven to improve language development of children with autism.

Some language and hearing research suggest that since AAC focuses on encouraging and providing communication, it reduces the psychological stress of individuals regarding the necessity of speaking and eases speech development process.

It is supported by a research (Koppenhaver, Coleman, Kalman, Yoder, 1991; Agius, M. 2019) that AAC also has a positive outcome in terms of language development and literacy, as it supports self-expression in social situations. Children with autism need help with developmental skills such as vocabulary, the length of sentence, syntax and pragmatic skills. AAC can be used as a guideline in this process.

Features of Alternative Communication AAC

Personalized

Besides from promoting and increasing speech development, there are other main benefits in terms of use of the actual device. High-tech devices can be personalized. They are very diverse to adjust to the needs of the individual. They can be used by both individuals with communication difficulties and also by the teams of specialists and parents.

Adaptable

High-tech AAC systems like Otsimo AAC is highly adaptable. They are built to empower the strengths and cover for the deficiencies that might be encountered during communication. Severe speech problems are all out there in day-to-day lives of children with autism. AAC systems and other augment communication aids help individuals to adapt to the situations they face during their lives where traditional communication methods may come short. With AAC, it is proven that you will have a better chance of maintaining a strong communication and build a relationship with your child.

Although it is used as an alternative to sign languages and visual impairment; AAC has been seen to be extremely effective in providing individuals with autism a regular and dependable method of communication to improve their communication skills and overall general life abilities, as these individuals usually have above-average visual skills that they can pair with sound aid of AAC.

To conclude, it is safe to say that high-tech AAC devices and alternative communication systems (applications using assistive technology for instance, like Otsimo) are highly customizable and relatively easy to access. They provide a vast picture communicators and can be improved easily, compared to manual signs and paper-based picture communicators. Many people can access to tablet computers with iOS and Android on which they can download applications specifically made for the purpose of aided communication.

Download Otsimo on iOS and Android tablet devices. Check out our app Otsimo to get a hold of AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) to help your child’s communication skills through carefully developed as an assistive technology as an alternative communication aac for children in autism spectrum disorders.