Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Awareness Month is upon us! AAC is all about providing strategies and communication aids that add to or replace spoken communication – it isn’t limited to just speech after all! We at ITS are excited to celebrate it as we know how much of a difference it can make to a person’s life. To celebrate, here are a few AAC apps that we’ve tried and recommend. What’s more is that they are FREE!
- Autism 5 Point Scale (https://apps.apple.com/us/app/autism-5-point-scale-ep/id467303313)
This app is aimed at helping individuals to communicate and regulate their level of anxiety using the 5 point scale. It is totally customisable – levels of ‘emergencies’ and responses can tailored to the individual’s needs. You can also customise it with your own photos and record your own voice. It was designed for people with Autism but could also help those with other disabilities too. Available on Apple App store.
- LetMeTalk: Free AAC Talker (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.appnotize.letmetalk&hl=en_GB)
A very easy app to set up and use. It can be used to support an individual’s communication, such as expressing their wants and needs for a range of everyday situations e.g. food, drink, clothes, feelings, illnesses/injuries, toys etc. You can also customise it by adding your own categories, words and photos. Available on both Apple and Google App store. Languages supported are: English, Spanish, French, Italian and German, Chinese, Portuguese, Brazilian Portuguese, Dutch, Arabic, Russian, Polish, Bulgarian, Romanian, Galician, Catalan, Basque.
- CommBoards Lite (https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.shmoontz.commboards.lite&hl=en_GB)
This is a speech assistance app for children with limited verbal abilities. It uses cute and engaging images, so perfect for the little ones. It enables them to communicate their basic needs and how they are feeling with ease. As you tap on to the pictures and symbols, the created sentence is being read aloud. It’s intuitive in that it will generate a list of options for each ‘need’ instantaneously. It can also be customised with your own categories, pictures and words. Available on Google app store.
This is a text to speech app designed for those who are speech impaired. It has several different categories to suit most situations, such as everyday conversational phrases, medical, food/drink, activity, home, work and feelings. It is fully customisable – The layout, such as colours and button size, as well as the rate and pitch of speech can all be adjusted according to the individual’s needs. You can also type in any words or phrases of your own and create an unlimited number of categories. Available on both Apple and Google App store.
We’d love to hear what you think of them! Or if you know any other great apps that you’d like to share – please do!
