Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) provides a vital means of expression for individuals with speech and language disorders, enabling meaningful interaction and connection. AAC tools encompass a broad spectrum of options, from simple picture boards to advanced high-tech speech systems. A key strength of AAC technology lies in its adaptability—the ability to align devices with a user’s specific interests, communication needs, and daily environments.
AAC best practices from ASHA show that when an AAC system resonates with the user’s interests, routines, and preferences, it becomes more than just a tool—it becomes a natural, integrated part of their daily life.
Personalizing an AAC device can significantly enhance its relevance and usability. By tailoring the system to reflect aspects of the user’s life, such as favorite activities, foods, or hobbies, personalization fosters engagement and supports consistent use. However, striking the right balance is essential. Overloading a device with excessive or frequent customizations can inadvertently hinder progress by making it more difficult to navigate or disrupting its research-backed structure.
This article explores how thoughtful personalization of AAC devices can create more engaging and effective systems for communication. You’ll gain insights into the benefits of customization, understand why maintaining balance is critical, and learn practical strategies for avoiding the pitfalls of over-personalization. Whether you’re an SLP, caregiver, educator, or part of a family, this guide provides actionable advice on facilitating a user’s evolving communication journey.
Why Personalizing an AAC Device Matters
Personalizing an AAC device is essential for creating a meaningful and engaging communication experience. When an AAC system reflects the user’s interests, routines, and preferences, it becomes a natural component of their everyday life. Tailoring the device helps individuals build familiarity and emotional connections, encouraging consistent and effective use.
For example, a personalized system might include symbols or photos of favorite foods, hobbies, or beloved pets—elements that connect with the user’s world. A child could be more inclined to use their AAC device if it features a beloved TV character or a preferred snack. These personal touches bridge the gap between the individual and their AAC system, fostering more frequent and confident communication.
Beyond engagement, personalization also supports learning by integrating vocabulary and visuals aligned with the user’s daily activities. Depicting the individuals, settings, and activities they encounter regularly further validates the AAC device’s purpose and usefulness.
Nevertheless, personalization must be approached strategically. While adding meaningful icons or images is important, care must be taken not to disrupt the evidence-based AAC designs and page-sets that promote language growth. When implemented thoughtfully, personalization empowers users to communicate effectively and thrive.
Benefits of Thoughtful Personalization
Thoughtful personalization of an AAC device can dramatically enhance the user’s motivation and communication success. Below are some key benefits of well-balanced customization:
Enhancing User Engagement
Systems that incorporate high-interest icons—such as a user’s favorite sports or leisure activities—capture attention and make communication more relevant. By reflecting the user’s personal world, the device becomes compelling to explore and use frequently, which is critical for practicing and building language skills.
Encouraging Consistent Device Use
Maintaining relevance through personalized vocabulary and imagery helps avoid device abandonment. When the user sees their daily life represented on the device, their willingness to engage grows. This consistent use fosters stronger language acquisition and overall fluency.
Fostering Emotional Connections
Including personal touches, like beloved cartoon characters or family pet names, can give users the confidence to express themselves and connect on an emotional level. This added sense of ownership makes communication feel more natural and rewarding.
Driving Stronger Communication Outcomes
Blending well-chosen personal vocabulary with a robust core vocabulary set creates dynamic opportunities for expression. Core words like “go,” “help,” “want,” or “more” remain essential, while additional icons for preferred items or experiences allow deeper engagement. Personalization within a proven framework helps users move from simple requests to more elaborate forms of interaction, such as describing experiences or sharing opinions.
Key Considerations for Balancing Personalization
While personalization can significantly enhance an AAC user’s experience, maintaining a strong foundational design is crucial. Below are factors to keep in mind when customizing a high-tech speech system.
Growth Within the System
AAC devices should be prepared to evolve with the user. Providing a robust setup from the outset—and gradually introducing folders or icons—supports smoother transitions. A practical method is to hide certain icons until the user becomes comfortable with existing ones or can handle more visual or tactile stimuli. Later, these hidden icons become accessible to expand vocabulary without requiring major layout changes. Preserving consistent motor patterns also promotes efficiency and confidence in navigation.
Motor planning is often a key factor in AAC device success. By systematically introducing new words without rearranging previous icons, the user retains confidence in their learned skills.
Recognize the User’s Potential
Families and caregivers sometimes worry that a larger AAC system might overwhelm the user, prompting them to remove or swap out icons frequently. However, research shows that when given the chance to explore, many users adapt quickly and can learn more vocabulary than initially expected. Allowing space for discovery encourages new language development and fosters independence.
Trust in Research-Based Frameworks
Most AAC systems are grounded in studies on language acquisition, communication, and user interface design. Applying significant layout changes or adding too many fringe words may undermine this foundation. It is often best to preserve core vocabulary—common, high-frequency words—while integrating personal items sparingly and systematically. By balancing customization with proven methodologies, you maintain an optimal environment for language learning.
Limit Inconsistent Edits
Frequent, uncoordinated edits by multiple stakeholders can disrupt the user’s learning process. For example, rearranging icons can interfere with established motor patterns and frustrate the user. To preserve consistency, it helps to designate one or two people—often an SLP resource or a primary caregiver—as the primary editors. Other team members can share suggestions with these editors rather than making abrupt changes themselves. Adopting a clear communication protocol ensures that updates remain purposeful and user-centric.
Focus on Long-Term Development
While short-term solutions may simplify communication immediately, these can limit growth opportunities. Building on a structured layout and introducing new icons over time provides a path for users to expand their language and adapt to changing needs or abilities. This approach supports communication as a lifelong skill—one that the individual can rely on throughout various stages of their personal, educational, and social development.
AAC Implementation guidelines emphasize sustaining a uniform framework and incorporating growth points that match the user’s evolving abilities. This balance keeps the AAC system relevant for today’s needs and tomorrow’s possibilities.
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Strategies to Avoid Over-Personalization
While personalization is valuable, going too far can create confusion and hinder progress. Below are strategies to help you maintain a user-friendly system that continues to grow with the individual.
Review Before Adding New Icons
Before introducing a new icon, check if the system already contains vocabulary that can cover the same concept. Many high-tech speech systems provide extensive core and fringe word libraries. Reusing or adapting existing icons reduces redundancy and clutter. This streamlined approach helps the user retain clear motor patterns and a consistent mental map of their device.
Craft a Communication Passport
A communication passport offers an overview of the device’s organization, listing core and personal vocabulary, and explaining the rationale behind placing items in certain folders. It can also detail hidden icons for future use. This ensures all stakeholders—families, teachers, aides—understand the device’s structure and can use it consistently. Having a dedicated document prevents accidental layout changes or unnecessary edits.
Balance Core and Fringe Vocabulary
Core vocabulary usually appears on the home or main pages of the device, while fringe vocabulary (unique or less frequently used words) resides in secondary folders. Maintaining this distinction ensures that essential words stay accessible, and personal elements complement rather than overwhelm the main interface.
Avoid Constant Layout Changes
Frequent reorganizations can disrupt the user’s sense of familiarity and impede learning. Instead of deleting icons or shifting entire clusters, consider hiding items to keep the interface manageable. Add new words selectively, placing them where they logically fit within the existing structure. This gradual approach maintains the user’s motor planning and confidence.
Collaborate with the Whole Team
Over-personalization often occurs when multiple members of a user’s support system—parents, educators, aides—make separate, uncoordinated edits. SLPs provide professional guidance aligned with the devices’ research-based foundations, while families and teachers reinforce these strategies in everyday scenarios. Modeling language, prompting device use, and giving consistent feedback are all more effective when implemented uniformly.
Regularly gather input from others but implement changes through this consistent channel. This team-based approach prevents duplicate icons and enables smoother transitions as the user’s skills evolve.
What to Do If a Device Is Already Over-Personalized
If the user’s AAC device has become cluttered with overlapping icons or disjointed folders, consider the following steps to refine and streamline it.
Assess the System’s Current State
Begin with a thorough review involving all key stakeholders, including an SLP professional’s perspective, caregivers, teachers, and the user. Determine which icons or folders are truly necessary for communication and identify redundancies. Compare the current layout to recommended frameworks or the device’s original structure to see what aspects may need restoring or reorganizing.
A team-based review helps clarify which elements genuinely support communication and which might be confusing or non-essential. If your user is successfully using the current layout, even if over-personalized, then there may not be a need for change. Focus on consistency and effective communication.
Reset to a Structured Framework
Rather than deleting everything, return to a proven base structure—one that highlights core words, motor planning, and user-friendly organization. From this baseline, selectively reintroduce the user’s personal icons or folders. Retaining a clear hierarchy for commonly used words and phrases allows the user to regain navigation confidence while still benefiting from meaningful personalization.
Demonstrate and Compare Layouts
Many AAC devices make it possible to toggle between page sets or custom layouts. Let the user explore both their current form and a cleaner, more systematic layout. Observe which arrangement best supports their natural communication tendencies. This method can highlight opportunities to simplify or clarify the interface.
Reintroduce Vocabulary Gradually
Consider hiding rather than removing extra icons outright. As the user’s needs or abilities develop, these hidden items can be brought back to expand their communication. By reintroducing words progressively, you preserve a sense of consistency while tapping into the benefits of personalization at a manageable pace.
Seek Professional Support and Training
Restructuring an over-personalized AAC device may require guidance from experienced professionals. They can advise on optimal layouts, effective vocabulary organization, and team approaches. Training sessions can enlighten caregivers and educators about consistent modeling, how to implement edits carefully, and the importance of long-term planning.
Practical Tips for Maintaining a Well-Balanced AAC System
Maintaining a balanced AAC system requires ongoing awareness and collaboration. Below are suggestions to help keep the device organized and functionally relevant:
- Hide Unused Icons Thoughtfully – Rather than deleting rarely used vocabulary, hide it and reintroduce it later as the user’s abilities grow. This prevents clutter while preserving long-term flexibility.
- Foster Open Communication Among Stakeholders – Regular check-ins—perhaps monthly—enable families, educators, and SLPs to address concerns and propose updates collectively. A united approach ensures continuity and prevents conflicting changes.
- Rely on Research-Based Frameworks – Most AAC devices draw on evidence about language acquisition and motor planning. Preserve core vocabulary and proven organizational structures as you add personal elements.
- Monitor User Engagement and Interaction – Watching how the user navigates the device helps identify which icons, folders, or phrases are most useful. This feedback loop can guide thoughtful adjustments to keep the device relevant.
By following these steps, you can preserve an AAC device’s core strengths while adapting it to meet individual needs. This balanced approach ultimately leads to better communication experiences for the user.
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Supporting Collaborative Use Across Environments
Consistent teamwork across home, school, and community supports the most effective AAC use. When all stakeholders share a clear plan for device customization, modeling, and vocabulary maintenance, the user benefits from smooth communication in multiple settings. To establish a cohesive plan, speech-language pathologists (SLPs), families, and educators should coordinate their efforts.
Adapting AAC Usage to Fit Specific Contexts
A user’s vocabulary needs may differ significantly between home, school, or social settings. In school, they may need academic phrases and icons representing classroom activities, whereas at home, vocabulary related to daily routines or family discussions might be more relevant. The goal is to preserve foundational structures—especially core words—while integrating environment-specific vocabulary to make communication feel purposeful in every setting.
Empowering Stakeholders Through Training
Training sessions can help educators, aides, babysitters, or extended family members learn to model words, prompt the user properly, and manage the device’s layout. Even short training events can foster consistency and confidence, allowing the user to rely on the device as a trusted tool.
Harmonizing Customization with Effective Communication Strategies
Personalizing an AAC device is about creating a tool that resonates with the user while keeping the solid foundation necessary for lifelong communication development. Strategic customization—such as carefully adding fringe vocabulary, hiding unused icons, and preserving core words—helps maintain consistent motor planning and supports each user’s long-term language growth.
Whether you’re an educator, caregiver, or speech-language pathologist, you play a key role in ensuring the AAC device reflects the individual’s unique needs and preferences while upholding proven design principles. If you are already a user of the QuickTalker Freestyle™ device and need assistance optimizing or restoring a cluttered layout, reach out to AbleNet’s ableCARE team for dedicated support and guidance. If you are interested in getting started with a device that fits your user’s personal needs, reach out to our dedicated team at ableNet to learn how you can empower your patient or loved one to achieve meaningful connections.
