About AAC :   What is AAC ? What is AAC symbol What is AAC AAC is the way of helping people that have difficulty communicating with speech or writing. AAC includes unaided and aided systems. Madeleine Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) are the words used to describe extra ways of helping people who find it hard to communicate by speech or writing. AAC helps them to communicate more easily.       AAC includes many different methods. Signing and gesture do not need any extra bits and pieces and are called unaided systems. Others use picture charts, books and special computers. These are called aided systems. AAC can help people understand what is said to them as well as being able to say and write what they want.       Who Benefits ?   Anyone who finds it very difficult to communicate by just speech may be helped by using AAC. Lots of different AAC methods are used by people of all ages, with physical or learning difficulties. Some people use AAC just to communicate. Other people use AAC to help them understand what is being said to them.       Some people need to use AAC because of something that happened when they were born – people with cerebral palsy or learning disabilities. Other people start to use AAC when they are older. This can be because they have had a stoke or a brain injury or a disease.       Any disability that makes it difficult for the person to communicate may find AAC methods helpful. For some people, AAC is just used for a short time such as after an operation. Other people use AAC all their lives.