Augmentative and Alternative Communication Systems for Children With Cerebral Palsy

Abstract

Cerebral palsy (CP) is a congenital neurological disorder of movement, muscle tone, or posture. Children with CP may also have associated sensory and motor disorders such as visual impairment, hearing loss, intellectual disability, speech-language and communication disorders, as well as swallowing-related problems. They often require long-term treatment and rehabilitation from various disciplines such as speech-language therapy, augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) therapy, physiotherapy, occupational therapy, along with medical/surgical line of treatment. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) therapy approaches focus on providing the individual with communication methods using residual functional abilities. This chapter aims at briefing the reader on the principles, methods, and key features of AAC communication systems such as switches, pointing devices, visual displays, virtual and modified keyboards, AAC devices with digitized speech output, AAC apps and software, eye gaze systems, etc.