Blog
Tips on AAC Systems for Clients with Acquired Brain Injury
Matching a client’s needs, level of functioning, skills, and preferences can be challenging. Provided below is a list of aids and devices to support clients across a range of skills.
Cognition: includes deficits in orientation, attention, executive functioning, and memory which can impede a person’s social participation, family interactions and vocational success by fostering dependence on others for managing daily tasks.
TOOLS:
Orientation:
- Orientation boards
- Day/night calendar clock
- Room identification and signage
Attention, organization, and initiation:
- Graphic organizers
- Visual schedules to promote a predictable routine
- Daily activity boards to keep clients informed about what to do and when
- Checklists to outline the steps required to complete a task
- Visual and written cues to focus or refocus attention
- Environmental cues—visual signs, calendars, audible alarms—to prompt the person to complete tasks
Memory:
- Memory books and boxes
- Electronic memory aids, such as smartphones and personal data assistants
- Daily planners and organizers to track of appointments, to-do lists and other tasks.
- Audible alarms, timers and Television Assistance Prompting to remind the person of important events, like “take medicine,” at specified times
- Pill organizers, medication reminders and automatic dispenser systems to improve medication compliance
Communication: expressing wants and needs, choices, and decisions, and express relevant personal information.
AAC METHODS:
- Yes/no boards
- Talking mats for making requests
- Communication books with iconic symbols and remnants, such as family pictures, ticket stubs, maps and more
- Writing and alphabet boards
- Object choice boards
- Topic supplementation boards
- Low-tech picture boards with various selection sets
- Text-to-speech or dynamic display speech-generating devices
- Visual scene displays with personally relevant and contextualized images
“SLPs teach clients and their communication partners ways to enrich their lives through engagement, empowerment, and independence. Successful AAC outcomes for people with ABI require careful consideration of the client’s social roles, age, and personal communications needs and goals.”
Rosemary D.
