Local AAC services

Also called Local AAC, Community AAC, Local assistive technology service, Electronic assistive technology

Where most people who use AAC are actually seen: the local speech and language therapy and assistive technology teams, and what they can and cannot provide.

What it is

Local AAC services are the speech and language therapy teams, community learning disability teams and assistive technology services in each area that assess for and support AAC for the majority of people who need it. In England they are commissioned by integrated care boards; in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland by health boards and trusts. Some areas have a dedicated AAC team; many have a single therapist with an AAC interest; a few have very little.

The specialised hubs in England are a top tier for the most complex cases. Everything else, which is most people, is local.

Who it can help

Anyone who needs AAC and does not meet the specialised criteria: a child with a language disorder who needs a symbol app, a person with a learning disability who needs a communication book and staff trained to use it, an adult with a stammer or dysarthria who needs a text-to-speech app for the phone, an older person with aphasia who needs a low-tech book. Also people who do meet the hub criteria, because the local team assesses first and supports afterwards.

Where a local service is thin, the honest advice is that families and schools end up doing a lot themselves, with the help of the charities and free resources listed here.

How it works

The local therapist assesses, often with an occupational therapist for access, recommends a system, and then either provides it from a local equipment budget, asks another body to fund it, or points the person to what they can get free. Provision varies wildly: one area lends tablets loaded with an app, the next has no equipment budget at all. Local teams also train families and staff, and review.

For a school-age child in England the local service is also where evidence for an EHCP comes from. For an adult with care needs, it is where the communication section of a care plan should be written.

Getting started

Find out what your local service actually offers. Ask the therapist: do you have an equipment budget, do you lend devices for trial, do you have someone with AAC specialism, and what is your route to the specialised service. Write the answers down; they shape everything else.

Then start, whatever the answer. A core board printed at home, a communication book, or a free app on a phone are all AAC, and a therapist will build on what is already in use far faster than on nothing. Fiducia Talk costs nothing and runs offline in a browser, so there is no procurement to wait for.

Where to get help

Communication Matters is the UK AAC charity, runs a helpline and a services directory, and its annual conference is the place local therapists learn. ACE Centre offers advice and free resources. CALL Scotland for Scotland. 1Voice connects families and adults who use AAC. To get the referral in the first place, see referring to speech and language therapy.