May is Better Hearing and Speech Month!

Floral wreath with illustrations including emojis, facial expressions, writing, texting, AAC boards, speech, gestures, ASL, and AAC devices in the flowers. Below the wreath is the text, Ask an SLP about all the ways we communicate. Watermarked @drawntoaac.

May is Better Hearing and Speech Month! Often, you'll hear us mention "AAC devices." AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication!

According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), AAC means all of the ways that someone communicates besides talking. People of all ages can use AAC if they have trouble with speech or language skills. Augmentative means to add to someone’s speech. Alternative means to be used instead of speech. Some people use AAC throughout their life. Others may use AAC only for a short time.

There are a lot of different types of AAC, typically categorized into no/light/low-tech, mid-tech, and high-tech options. This month, we'll be featuring different AAC devices, AAC facts, and the resources available through Oklahoma ABLE Tech!