AAC Use by People With TBI: Affects of Cognitive Impairments

Abstract

Abstract Survivors of traumatic brain injury (TBI) use augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) to compensate for communication impairments. However, various cognitive impairments resulting from TBI affect AAC intervention and, thus, require special consideration. The purpose of this article is to address four areas that professionals who provide AAC may need to consider as part of their service provision to people with TBI: (a) the evolution of AAC use during the recovery process, (b) the effect of cognitive impairments on multimodal communication, (c) appropriate message representation, and (d) difficulties with AAC navigation resulting from cognitive impairments. Finally, this paper provides some suggestions and some areas of future research related to survivors of TBI use of AAC.