Fundamentals of AAC: A Case-Based Approach to Enhancing Communication, Second Edition

The second edition of Fundamentals of AAC: A Case-Based Approach to Enhancing Communication continues to be a course-friendly textbook designed to walk readers through the theoretical and clinical underpinnings of assessment, intervention, and consultation for individuals with complex communication needs across the lifespan. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) encompasses a variety of communication methods and is used by those with a wide range of speech and language impairments. With a consistent framework and descriptive case studies, as well as input from various stakeholders, readers can gain a comprehensive understanding of the needs of persons who use AAC and how to provide them with ethically and culturally considerate support.
Unlike other texts on this topic, this book empowers readers to visualize AAC in action. Each chapter begins with fundamental concepts and principles, followed by a relevant case study that presents the concepts and principles “in action” that guide the reader through the use of clinical decision-making in AAC. Every case study is designed to underscore the cultural, linguistic, and social variability inherent to the fields of AAC and communication sciences, and how each individual influences the manifestation of the AAC system, treatment, and implementation plans.
Intended to easily translate into a 6-, 8-, or 13-week semester course, this textbook is divided into eight distinct sections:

• Section I provides an overview of AAC, no-tech, mid-tech, and high-tech AAC systems, as well as mobile technology and advancing technology.
• Section II discusses language fundamentals.
• Section III reviews AAC assessment, intervention, and implementation for toddlers, preschoolers, and school-aged individuals, along with goal-writing and data collection.
• Section IV covers assessment, intervention, and implementation for young adults and adults needing AAC.
• Section V offers the reader detailed information and rich examples of the application of AAC for persons with developmental disabilities.
• Section VI provides the theoretical foundation and exemplar case studies of AAC for persons with acquired disabilities.
• Section VII details consultation and training for various stakeholders, as well as tele-AAC services.
• Section VIII presents a collection of essays from various stakeholders.

New to the Second Edition

• A chapter dedicated to AAC and literacy
• Updated information about neuro-affirming practice, technology advancements (like artificial intelligence and automation), and implementation of AAC outside of intervention
• New photos and videos
• Updated intervention resources
• Report-writing tools
• Enhanced instructor resources

Key Features

• Overviews with key terms set the stage for each section
• 36 case studies with questions and visuals to clearly depict each case
• Boxes with practical tips and expert advice

PluralPlus Online Ancillaries

For instructors: Instructor's Manual, Sample Syllabus, PowerPoint Slides, Test Bank, Image Bank, Activities/Exercises, Links to Related Resources, Case Study Instructional Resources
For students: Videos, Select Color Photos, Links to Related Resources

Dr. Nerissa Hall is co-founder of Commūnicāre, LLC and codirector of the Speech, Language, and Literacy Center at Tate Behavioral, Inc. Her work concentrates on augmentative and alternative communication, assistive technology, and tele-AAC, and she works primarily with school-aged individuals, providing specialized, evidence-based intervention, assessment, and consultation services. Dr. Hall received her masters and doctorate degrees from the University of Massachusetts- Amherst, focusing on AAC skill advancement and implementation as well as tele-AAC. She has presented nationally regarding these and other related topics. Dr. Hall has served as a LEND Fellow and as adjunct faculty at Elms College, Cambridge College, and the Uni-versity of Massachusetts-Amherst. She is part of the team that edited Tele-AAC: Augmentative and Alternative Communication Through Telepractice and is passionate about advancing the fields of AAC and AT to ensure meaningful outcomes for individuals using AAC and AT and the teams that support them.

Dr. Jenifer Juengling-Sudkamp is a speech-language pathologist who provides augmentative and alternative communication consultations, assessments, and interventions across multiple medical settings to adults with complex communication needs that are often a result of acquired neurodegenerative disorders and/or traumatic brain injury. She has a passion to improve people’s access to AAC consultative, evaluation, and/or interventions and joined a team of talented editors and authors to contribute to the resourceful clinical book, Tele-AAC: Augmentative and Alternative Communication Through Telepractice. Dr. Juengling-Sudkamp is a clinical instructor in the Department of Orthopaedics at Tulane University School of Medicine, where she teaches combined undergraduate and graduate courses in applied neuroscience that are specific to the clinical management of athletes with sport-related brain injuries. She also served as the program manager and a consultant for the Sport Concussion Clinic, the NFL Players Association’s Trust Brain and Body, and the Milestone Wellness Assessment programs at Tulane University. She has coauthored publications and copresented nationally and internationally on topics including AAC, tele-AAC, and the management of cognitive-communication deficit and dysphagia among adolescents and adults with acquired neurological disorders.

Dr. Michelle L. Gutmann is a clinical professor at Purdue University Department of Speech, Language, and Hearing Sciences, where she teaches a variety of graduate courses including AAC, counseling in communication disorders, and motor speech disorders. After completing her doctoral studies and prior to coming to Purdue, she served as a clinical assistant professor and the speech-language pathologist for the ALS Clinic at Vanderbilt University Medical Center. Prior to returning to doctoral studies, she worked clinically for approximately a decade with both children and adults who needed AAC. She is part of the team that edited Tele-AAC: Augmentative and Alternative Communication Through Telepractice and is passionate about working with adults with acquired and/or neurodegenerative communication disorders who need AAC. Dr. Gutmann has served as the professional development manager for ASHA’s SIG 12 (AAC) since 2017. She is also active in both research and clinical endeavors related to the application and implementation of AAC for adults with acquired neurological disorders. Her interests include telepractice, interprofessional education, clinical education in speech-language pathology, implementation science, and health literacy. She has published and presented nationally and internationally.


Dr. Ellen R. Cohn is an adjunct faculty member in the Department of Communication and Rhetoric in the Dietrich School of Arts and Sciences and the College of General Studies at the University of Pittsburgh and is an adjunct professor at the University of Maryland Global Campus, where she teaches distance education health communication and a variety of other applied communication courses. She has held secondary appointments in Pitt’s School of Dental Medicine and in the Clinical and Translational Science Institute and as a Faculty Fellow, University Honors College, and an affiliated faculty member of Pitt’s University Center for International Studies. Dr. Cohn has coauthored books on the topics of videofluoroscopy/cleft palate; communication as culture; diversity across the curriculum in higher education; telerehabilitation; a casebook in communication science and disorders; tele-AAC; and two programs at the University of Pittsburgh’s School of Law: Certificate Program in Disability Law, and the first MSL with a concentration in disability law. Dr. Cohn is a past investigator for the U.S. Department of Education National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research, Rehabilitation Engineering Research Center on Telerehabilitation. She served as professor in the Department of Communication Science and Disorders School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh, associate dean for Instructional Development (2007–2015), assistant dean for Instructional Development (2002–2007), and director of Instructional Development (1999–2002), School of Health and Rehabilitation Sciences, University of Pittsburgh. Dr. Cohn was designated a Diversity Champion, American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (2009), and was a Provost’s Office, Diversity Seminar Fellow (2005). Her interests span the areas of telerehabilitation/telehealth/telemedicine; interprofessional education; cleft palate, dentofacial, and craniofacial disorders; clinical training in speech-language pathology; and health-care communication. She is the founding editor (2008–present) of the International Journal of Telerehabilitation (a PubMed indexed electronic journal). In 2013, Dr. Cohn was named a fellow of the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association. In 2006 she received the honors of the Southwestern Pennsylvania Speech-Language and Hearing Association. In 2020, she and coauthor Dr. Jana Cason received the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association’s Editor’s Award for Ethical Considerations for Client-Centered Telepractice, Perspectives of the Special Interest Groups.