What is AAC?
AAC encompasses all the ways we share our ideas and feelings without talking. In fact, we all use forms of AAC every day when we wave, point, or use emojis in text messages!
For individuals with communication difficulties, AAC provides a dedicated system to supplement or replace spoken language. There are generally two categories:
- Low-Tech or Unaided AAC: These systems do not require batteries. Examples include Key Word Sign (KWS), gestures, communication books, alphabet boards, and Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display (PODD) books.
- High-Tech AAC: These are electronic speech-generating devices. They often take the form of dedicated tablets or iPads equipped with robust communication apps (such as Proloquo2Go, TouchChat, or LAMP Words for Life), operated by touch, switches, or even eye-gaze technology.
How daar Supports Your AAC Journey
Finding the right communication system can feel overwhelming. Our Canterbury-based team guides you through the entire process, ensuring the AAC system grows with you or your child.
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1. Comprehensive AAC Assessments
We start by getting to know the individual's unique strengths, physical abilities, vision, and sensory preferences. We presume competence in every client, ensuring we select a system that provides access to robust, comprehensive vocabulary.
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2. Device Trials
You shouldn't have to guess what works. We help facilitate device trials so the participant can test out different high-tech or low-tech options in their natural environments (at home, school, or day programmes in the Canterbury area) before making a final decision.
3. NDIS Assistive Technology (AT) Reports
Navigating the NDIS to fund a communication device can be complicated. Our Speech Pathologists are highly skilled in writing the required NDIS Assistive Technology (AT) applications. We provide strong biological and functional evidence to justify the funding of iPads, dedicated devices, and communication apps through your NDIS Capital budget.
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4. Customisation, Implementation, and Training
An AAC device is only as good as the support network around it. We don't just hand over a tablet and say goodbye. We customise the vocabulary to suit your lifestyle and provide highly engaging, neuro-affirming ongoing therapy. Furthermore, we train parents, teachers, and support workers on how to model language and use the device effectively.
Supporting Self and Plan-Managed NDIS Participants
daar provides inclusive AAC services for Self-Managed and Plan-Managed NDIS participants. We work collaboratively with your wider allied health team, including Occupational Therapists, to ensure the physical mounting and access to the device is perfectly suited to your needs.
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Frequently Asked Questions:
Will using an AAC device stop my child from learning to speak?
This is the most common concern we hear from parents, but the answer is a resounding no. Decades of clinical research show that using AAC does not hinder spoken language development. In fact, it often does the exact opposite! By reducing frustration and giving children a successful way to communicate, AAC actually facilitates and encourages the development of natural speech.
Who can benefit from using AAC?
AAC is for anyone who cannot rely on verbal speech alone to meet all of their daily communication needs. At Daar, we support individuals with a wide range of diagnoses, including Autism, Cerebral Palsy, Down Syndrome, global developmental delays, as well as adults with acquired brain injuries, Aphasia (post-stroke), Motor Neurone Disease (MND), and Parkinson’s Disease.
Can daar help me get NDIS funding for an iPad or communication aid?
Yes! If you are a Self-Managed or Plan-Managed NDIS participant, our Speech Pathologists can conduct an Assistive Technology (AT) assessment. We trial the necessary equipment and then write a comprehensive AT submission report. This report is submitted to the NDIS to request funding for the required hardware (like an iPad or rugged case) and the software (the communication app) under your Capital Supports budget.
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Find Us Here
Shop 1 364 Canterbury Rd Canterbury NSW 2193
Underground parking is available behind our building on Onslow St. Take the elevators up to Ground Floor to access our clinic.
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