Augmentative and alternative communication in logopedics.
Like logopedics, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) has a short history and a long past. In the 1950s and 60s the field of AAC emerged as a response to the need of individuals who, despite years of 'traditional speech therapy', had not developed adequate oral communication skills, and for whom compensatory rather than remedial approaches were thus deemed advisable. Various trends like the shift from form to function in language development research, dissemination of sign language, use of non-speech graphic symbols, advances in computer technology, and international collaboration have all contributed to AAC's present-day status as a multidisciplinary enterprise involving speech-language therapists and an array of other professions. Clinical experience, for lack of comprehensive empirical studies, seems to indicate that AAC is warranted for congenital as well as acquired communication disorders.
Jensen
M H
MH
Royal Danish School of Educational Studies, Department at Esbjerg, Denmark. mogens@esbjerg.dlh.dk
D006801:Humans; D013064:Speech Disorders / Q000628:therapy*; D013070:Speech Therapy / Q000379:methods*; D013066:Speech-Language Pathology