Fact · Accessibility and health
The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association defines augmentative and alternative communication as an area of clinical practice that supplements or compensates for impairments in speech-language production or comprehension, including spoken and written modes of communication.
Checked against its source on October 16, 2026
In the source's own words
“Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) is an area of clinical practice that supplements or compensates for impairments in speech-language production and/or comprehension, including spoken and written modes of communication.”
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), American Speech-Language-Hearing Association, ASHA Practice Portal, n.d., Definition section.
Open the original- What it measures
- ASHA places AAC under the broader umbrella of assistive technology. Its examples include manual signs, gestures, picture communication boards, letter boards and speech-generating devices.
- What it does not show
- A professional definition for clinicians and educators. It covers people who cannot speak and people whose speech is hard to understand, and it does not describe how any one device works.