The second edition of South Africa’s very own AAC Resource Manual has been released in September 2015. If you are working with individuals with little or no functional speech (LNFS) or complex communication needs (CCN), then this manual is just for you.

More than a hundred topics, written by South Africans who are involved with and work with individuals who are in need of AAC, are covered in the manual. Practical guidelines are provided and are aimed at assisting therapists, teachers and families who work and live with these individuals on a daily basis.

The manual consists of 15 chapters, dealing with the following topics:

Chapter 1: Getting going

Chapter 2: Screening and assessment of a potential AAC candidate

Chapter 3: The use of AAC strategies in various settings (e.g. home, school, hospital, court)

Chapter 4: Various AAC tools and intervention strategies (e.g. Talking Mats, PECS, Aided language stimulation etc.)

Chapter 5: Communication books and boards

Chapter 6: AAC in the classroom (e.g. setting up the AAC classroom for learning, literacy, use of Blissymbols etc.)

Chapter 7: Let us play (e.g. adapting toys and activities for children with physical disabilities)

Chapter 8: Access (e.g. switches, eye control systems, hardware access options etc.)

Chapter 9: Assistive technology (e.g. dedicated and non-dedicated AAC devices, AAC software and apps etc.)

Chapter 10: Assessment of and intervention strategies for challenging behaviour

Chapter 11: The use of AAC in specific populations (e.g. Autism spectrum Disorder, Motor Neuron  Disease, Parkinson’s Disease, Severe Visual Impairments, Intellectual Disabilities etc.)

Chapter 12: Useful websites, contacts and resources

Chapter 13: AAC terminology

Chapter 14: Examples of various communication boards

Chapter 15: Marketing (learn more about various AAC service providers in South Africa)

The AAC Resource manual is available on CD and can be ordered from the Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication (CAAC) at the University of Pretoria.

Martin Pistorius, the writer of the well-known book Ghost Boy, who uses AAC on a daily basis, is one of the contributors and also wrote the foreword of the manual.

Martin said:

"The ability to communicate is often not thought about, or even noticed, until you can’t. I am therefore very happy that the second edition is continuing the exceptional work done by the CAAC to assist therapists, teachers and families in working with children and adults with complex communication needs to find their voice. As the saying goes "it is not how you communicate, it’s that you communicate".

The AAC Resource Manual is available on CD at a cost of R250 per CD (excluding postage). Order your copy now at [email protected] or phone +27 012 420 2001.