Our AAC Screening is a method of quickly identifying the types of communication support that would benefit a particular child. More specifically, we use it to help us find children within a public school district, ages 3-5, who would benefit from a high-tech speech-generating device. We use this tool in the context of a multi-tiered system of support for AAC, ensuring that all decisions about accommodations are made by the IEP team and documented carefully. AAC Screening has benefits for kids, families, and professionals!

Traditionally an AAC assessment in the public school setting requires a signed assessment plan, a comprehensive evaluation, then a full report (about 10 pages in length) written by an SLP or AAC Specialist, and finally an IEP meeting to discuss results. This process takes us an average of 10 hours per child (and we think we're relatively fast!).

Our AAC screening on the other hand takes between 1 minute to 1.5 hours, depending on the number of steps required. As a result of the screening, children may (1) pass if they do not need a dedicated AAC device, or (2) receive a dedicated high-tech AAC device via an amendment IEP, or (3) be referred for a comprehensive AAC assessment. Screening is never intended to delay a referral for an assessment where needed. In fact, we have found that students who need them receive much faster referrals for assessment than they did before, because the screening process gives us a systematic way to seek them out.

Here are some ways you can learn more about AAC Screening:

• Download our Protocol (it's free and comes with lots of extras!)

• Check out our latest presentation at AAC in the Cloud (also free!)

• Join our online community message boards

• Join our email list via the sign-up link below so you never miss an update.

• Reach out to info@aacscreening.com with any additional questions, and we'll continue to add answers to this page.