Students who rely on augmentative and alternative communication – literacy and curriculum access

Over the past 25 years, I have been involved in supporting the inclusion of students who have complex communication needs in mainstream education. In particular, I have worked with schools to support students who rely on AAC (augmentative and alternative communication) in developing their literacy and accessing the curriculum. Students who rely on AAC typically have little or no speech and often have difficulty with movement. This group of students have a very broad spectrum of ability, both cognitively and physically, which makes it virtually impossible to categorise them into ‘types’. Students who rely on AAC may have cerebral palsy, autism, Down syndrome (or other chromosome disorders), Rett syndrome, muscular dystrophy or any number of conditions that make it difficult for them to demonstrate their understanding and record their work. AAC provides a way for students to communicate by a means other than speech. For a literate student, it might involve typing using speciali