People who are unable to speak can still communicate their wants, needs and ideas through what is called Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC). Sign language systems, for example, have been used for centuries while more hightech options have become readily available in recent years. Craig Hospital’s specially trained speechlanguage pathologists work with patients in the Assistive Technology Lab to find the communication options that best meet their individual needs and capabilities.

LowTech Options: These are communication methods that require basic equipment. Examples of lowtech options include writing on paper or a whiteboard, pointing to icons on a picture or window board, using an alphabet board to spell out words, or using partnerassisted scanning with a needs list. (General resources can be found at the PatientProvider Communication Network.) Lowtech systems offer more breadth of communication than most notech options, but are also limited by the need for a communication partner to interpret the alternate form of communication. These communication options also do not provide voice output.

Alphabet Board used in video: ©2017 Boston Children’s Hospital. All Rights Reserved.

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Craig Hospital in Denver, Colorado, is a worldrenowned rehabilitation hospital that specializes exclusively in the neurorehabilitation and research of patients with spinal cord injury (SCI) and brain injury (BI). Craig is a notforprofit, freestanding, national center of excellence that has treated thousands of patients with SCI and BI since 1956. https://craighospital.org

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