Will using AAC prevent a child from developing verbal speech?

There is a lot of research out there that AAC actually helps a child to become verbal, and one of the reasons for that is because it teaches our kids that they have power and that using communication can get them what they want. We want them to learn that there is power in using your words versus maybe having a tantrum because they can’t be understood. So there is a lot of research that AAC can actually help with kids who may have the ability to use their mouth to get there.

Some kids are not going to speak ever because of a physical reason. Some kids who have apraxia talk all day long but nobody can understand them, so they use AAC or ASL. Sometimes, kids can use their mouth to speak, but when they become dysregulated, they lose access to their mouth, so it’s helpful for them to have access to AAC.