Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) empowers individuals with diverse communication needs by providing the means to express thoughts and participate more fully in everyday life. For speech-language pathologists (SLPs), educators, and families, supporting an AAC user’s success goes beyond selecting a device—it calls for an inclusive approach that respects each individual’s potential. Central to this approach is the concept of “presuming competence,” which means believing that every AAC user, regardless of their current abilities, deserves access to communication and can develop more robust communication skills over time if provided the right tools.
Presuming competence not only creates a supportive environment for language learning but also elevates the conversation away from challenges toward opportunities for progress. By providing comprehensive language tools and encouraging active engagement, families and professionals can nurture spaces where AAC users are motivated to explore, express their thoughts, and thrive in communication.
This article outlines practical strategies for presuming competence in therapy sessions, offering step-by-step approaches to empower and engage AAC users.
Understanding the Principle of Presuming Competence
Presuming competence is a commitment to support all individuals, including AAC users, by believing that everyone has the capacity to grow and learn, regardless of present communication abilities. Rather than focusing on perceived limitations, this principle highlights the potential in each person and centers the discussion on how best to foster ongoing development.
Why Presume Competence?
Because it…
- Fosters Growth: Believing in someone’s capacity to learn encourages you to provide enhanced language support. By consistently providing robust vocabulary, we help AAC users expand their expressive vocabulary. This approach aligns with ASHA’s recommendations on inclusive AAC intervention.
- Builds Confidence: A supportive environment that anticipates progress can boost intrinsic motivation. AAC users who sense high expectations often feel more confident taking risks in communication.
- Encourages Possibility: When the outlook shifts away from perceived shortfalls toward possibilities, the focus lands on celebrating progress and identifying the best communication strategies over time.
In practice, presuming competence entails offering robust AAC tools, modeling advanced vocabulary, and celebrating incremental achievements. Rather than waiting to see if the user is “ready,” presuming competence means helping them learn and produce messages that might initially seem beyond current skills. For example, if an AAC user selects a single word like “go,” a support partner responds by expanding that idea—“Yes, let’s go!”—thus showing the broader usage and potential of that communication attempt.
A Deeper Look at Inclusive Mindsets
Inclusive mindsets center on dignity, respect, and recognition of every individual’s potential. The “social model of disability” acknowledges that barriers stem largely from external factors—lack of accessible communication tools, inadequate accommodations, or limited societal awareness—rather than simply attributing them to a diagnosis or label. By embracing this model, families and practitioners provide an environment where everyone is recognized as capable of growing and learning, and differences are respected rather than pathologized.
5 Key Strategies for Presuming Competence
Applying presuming competence in day-to-day interactions and therapy sessions ensures AAC users receive the most supportive environment possible. Here are strategies to make this concept a reality:
1) Ensure Access to Comprehensive Vocabulary
AAC users benefit from more than just the words needed for basic requests. A broad vocabulary expands possibilities for interaction, self-advocacy, and creativity. To achieve this:
- Core Vocabulary: Include high-frequency words (e.g., “go,” “get,” “help”) that are frequently used in daily contexts. Research shows that focusing on core vocabulary can significantly improve functional communication. To learn more about how core vocabulary forms a foundation of language, you can explore the work on core vocabulary.
- Fringe Vocabulary: Tailor vocabulary to reflect personal interests, routine activities, and immediate environments. Adding fringe vocabulary (such as animals, hobbies, favorite foods) can make the user’s device more meaningful and motivating.
- Social and Emotional Language: Incorporate words that let AAC users express feelings, opinions, and social intent. Providing access to emotional expressions helps them engage in deeper, more personal interactions and fosters lasting connections.
2) Model Communication Regularly
Modeling means demonstrating how to use the AAC device so that new vocabulary or language structures become more familiar. Whenever possible, use the device during regular conversations, pointing to symbols or typed words while speaking. For instance, if you say, “We can eat lunch now,” also activate the device’s corresponding symbols for “eat” and “lunch.”
Over time, repeated modeling helps AAC users see how words fit together. This approach to instruction is known as “Aided Language Stimulation,” where the partner consistently uses the AAC system alongside their own speech. Through consistent modeling, vocabulary items and syntax gradually become part of the user’s expressive repertoire.
3) Expand on Communicative Attempts
Every time an AAC user communicates, it is an opportunity for growth. If a user selects a single word or even a partial idea, acknowledge and provide an expanded version. For instance, if the user selects “want,” respond with something like, “You want to play the game. Let’s play.” This method, frequently referred to as “expansion,” broadens the user’s language exposure by adding words that convey more precise meaning.
In some cases, pairing expansions with literacy skills fosters improved language retention. Reviewing text-based materials or shared reading activities can highlight how words fit into bigger contexts.
4) Enable Choice-Making and Promote Autonomy
Allowing AAC users to make choices underscores their agency and capabilities. Whether selecting a snack, deciding on an activity, or expressing the desire to pause a task, choices support confidence. Construct a vocabulary within the AAC device that includes personal preferences so users have real control over their day-to-day experiences. Empowering choice-making encourages AAC users to initiate communication, further reinforcing the belief that they are capable decision-makers.
5) Respect All Forms of Communication
High-tech AAC devices are powerful, but communication often occurs across multiple modalities. Facial expressions, gestures, vocalizations, or behaviors that indicate intent should all be valued and interpreted with respect. For some individuals, layering modes of communication helps clarify messages and allows for flexible self-expression. A user might tap on their device for “I want music,” while also pointing toward a radio or a playlist. Recognizing these additional cues fosters a more holistic understanding of their message.
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Start Benefit Check
Enhancing Long-Term Communication Outcomes
Supporting an AAC user’s progress is not a one-time event; it’s a continuous cycle of assessment, goal-setting, and adaptation. Regular re-evaluation ensures that vocabulary stays relevant and that language development goals align with the user’s evolving interests and needs.
Assess Progress Regularly
Continuously evaluating and adapting goals based on progress ensures that AAC therapy remains aligned with the evolving abilities and aspirations of the user. This dynamic approach allows for individualized growth and sustained motivation.
Conduct periodic evaluations that track communication success, vocabulary usage, and overall engagement with the AAC device. These assessments should inform adjustments in therapy to better meet the user’s current needs and address any new challenges or opportunities for growth. Consider engaging the AAC user in discussions about what they find helpful or challenging within the therapy. Listening to their preferences for activities or vocabulary can direct future updates and better support their communication journey.
Celebrating Incremental Successes
Every new word, every new combination of words, and every instance of intentional communication is an important accomplishment. Marking these successes can encourage the user to continue experimenting with new vocabulary. Even small gains can be monumental stepping stones, reflecting the efficacy of presuming competence. Positive recognition—through smiles,natural responses, or verbal engagement—helps establish that communicating via AAC is valued by those around them.
Coordinating Between Settings
AAC users often move between multiple environments, such as home, school, community programs, and therapy sessions. Facilitating smooth transitions from one setting to another is crucial for consistency. Shared goals and techniques help the user maintain progress—even small differences in device layout or language approach can become obstacles. Collaboration among professionals and caregivers ensures continuity and helps the user retain newly acquired communication skills.
Emphasizing Ongoing Skill Development
As language and interests grow, the AAC system should adapt. Users may need additional pages or categories in their devices, or they may require periodic reviews to add new concepts. For instance, a user might become fascinated with a new hobby or upcoming holiday, so updating the device’s fringe vocabulary keeps the communication relevant. This growth-oriented mindset dovetails with presuming competence, as it anticipates the user’s emerging language needs.
Overcoming Challenges and Setting Realistic Expectations
Like all developmental processes, AAC intervention presents obstacles. Overcoming challenges in AAC implementation requires a combination of persistence, creativity, and patience.
Whether your main challenge is device customization or ensuring consistent modeling across settings, realistic expectations provide a guiding framework. It’s important to recognize that progress may come in waves and will differ from one individual to another. To manage expectations effectively, it is important to focus on measurable, attainable goals that foster steady growth in language skills. Celebrate small victories, such as the addition of a new word to the user’s vocabulary or the ability to convey a simple idea independently. These achievements, while seemingly minor, lay the groundwork for more complex communication down the road. Moreover, clear communication about goals with all stakeholders, including educators, therapists, and family members, ensures everyone works collaboratively toward the user’s long-term development and enhances the overall efficacy of AAC interventions.
Some users might push back against device usage, or they may appear to lose interest. Research highlights that purposeful engagement, device maintenance, and robust training make it less likely for individuals to abandon AAC devices. This can be mitigated by creating a structured routine that incorporates the AAC device into daily activities, ensuring the user becomes familiar with its functionality and purpose. Introducing the device gradually, with a focus on fun and engaging interactions, can reduce anxiety and encourage willingness to communicate.
AAC success thrives on collaboration. Encouragement from peers and positive reinforcement from therapists and family members can also play a role in overcoming reluctance and building enthusiasm for AAC. Multiple viewpoints—educators, occupational therapists, parents or guardians, SLPs, and sometimes medical professionals—help form a complete picture of an AAC user’s environment.
Empowering Therapy with High-Tech AAC Solutions
High-tech AAC solutions can significantly enhance therapy outcomes. Many users benefit from a dynamic display, built-in text-to-speech, and advanced customization options that allow for optimized, user-centered experiences. These devices often include features designed to support consistent motor planning, such as having symbols in predictable, stable locations. This stability can help the user develop muscle memory and reduce frustration over time.
These high-tech devices also integrate with different apps so that therapy isn’t confined to a single medium. Technology can be leveraged at every stage of communication development. Additionally, built-in analytics or “usage trackers” can guide therapists and families as they decide which words to emphasize or reorganize, reinforcing a cycle of continuous improvement.
One notable example is the QuickTalker Freestyle™, a high-tech AAC device designed to adapt to diverse user needs through customizable features. This device is highly flexible—weaving in user-centric modifications and software that can scale as communication grows. For example, changed page layouts or newly added words can ensure the AAC user always has the vocabulary they need. By pairing customizable design with consistent guidelines for device usage, systems like this truly embody the principle of presuming competence.
Small tweaks, like adding specialized hobby-based vocabulary or changing symbol sizes, can make a significant impact on communication outcomes. The key is to remain flexible and responsive to the user’s evolving needs.
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Try a Device
Charting Future Success for AAC Therapy
Presuming competence in every AAC user means believing in their ability to learn, develop, and share their thoughts in meaningful ways. By expecting progress, we create spaces where users are encouraged to test new words, refine ideas, and communicate with growing independence. Through the strategies discussed in this article, we reinforce a framework where communication differences are not barriers but stepping stones toward richer expression.
When paired with high-tech devices like QuickTalker Freestyle™ this outlook further empowers those who rely on robust communication aids.
By presuming competence and applying inclusive strategies, families, educators, and speech-language pathologists set the stage for all AAC users to grow, succeed, and thrive. If you’re ready to explore how a high-tech AAC device can open new doors in communication—or would like additional support—consider scheduling a consultation with an SLP experienced with AAC therapy.
