Of all the things parents are taught about AAC, aided language stimulation is probably the one that makes the biggest difference — and also the one that's most often skipped. Whether your child uses a picture board, a communication book, or an app on a tablet, this is the strategy that brings the system to life.
It's also the concept this whole article cluster keeps coming back to, so let's slow down and unpack what it actually is. (If you're worried that modelling on a system will stop your child from talking — a question almost every parent asks — the research is reassuring, and we cover it in detail in Speech Generating Devices: What They Are.)
Aided Language Stimulation in Plain English
Aided language stimulation (sometimes called aided language input or aided language modelling) is the practice of pointing to symbols on your child's communication system while you talk.
Think about how children learn to speak. They don't figure it out on their own — they hear thousands and thousands of words spoken by the people around them before they start talking themselves. They learn by watching and listening.
Children who use AAC need the same opportunity. They need to see their communication system being used by other people — over and over — before we can expect them to use it independently. Aided language stimulation is how we give them that experience.
When you point to symbols on your child's communication device while you're talking to them, you're showing them:
- What the symbols mean
- Where to find them
- How to put symbols together
- When it makes sense to use them
You're essentially "speaking their language" — using their system to model communication, just like you'd use spoken words to model speech. A parent's confidence with aided language stimulation can completely change their child's communication trajectory. The families who start modelling — even just a few words at first — are consistently the ones who see the biggest gains.
How Does It Work in Practice?
Imagine you're at the park with your child, and they have a communication book or tablet. Instead of just talking ("Look at the dog! The dog is running!"), you'd also point to the symbols for key words on their system while you speak.
You might point to "look" and "dog" on their communication board while saying "Look at the dog!" You don't need to point to every single word — just the key content words that carry meaning.
This is sometimes described as using a "modelling" approach. You're demonstrating how the system works, without putting any pressure on your child to copy you or respond. Some of the children I've supported with AAC took months of watching adults model before they ever pressed a symbol themselves — and then, quietly, it all started to come together.
It's worth saying plainly: aided language stimulation sounds simple, but the pacing, the vocabulary choices, and the way it's layered into real interactions are all things a speech pathologist will work through with you session by session. What looks like "just pointing to symbols" is actually a skill that takes coaching to build — and that coaching is a big part of what AAC therapy is.
Who Benefits from Aided Language Stimulation?
Any child who uses or is being introduced to AAC can benefit. This includes children who:
- Use picture exchange systems or communication books like PODD
- Use speech generating devices or communication apps
- Access their system through eye gaze, switches, or partner-assisted scanning
- Are just beginning to explore AAC
- Have been using AAC for years and are expanding their language
The evidence tells us that aided language stimulation is one of the most effective strategies for building language skills in children who use AAC. Research has consistently shown that when communication partners model on a child's system, children use more symbols, produce longer utterances, and develop language more quickly (Sennott, Light, & McNaughton, 2016).
Speech Pathology Australia recognises aided language stimulation as a key evidence-based strategy within AAC intervention, and their clinical guidelines highlight the importance of communication partner training in supporting children who use AAC (Speech Pathology Australia, n.d.).
The Origins of Aided Language Stimulation
The concept was developed by Goossens', Crain, and Elder in the early 1990s. Their foundational work established the idea that children who use AAC need the same kind of rich language input that speaking children receive — but in their own modality. This was a significant shift in thinking at the time, and it changed the way speech pathologists and families approach AAC intervention (Goossens', Crain, & Elder, 1992).
Since then, the evidence base has grown substantially. Australian researchers have contributed important work on how communication partner training — including aided language stimulation — improves outcomes for children using AAC.
Why Is It So Important?
Here's a way to think about it: imagine you moved to a country where everyone spoke a language you didn't know. Now imagine that nobody ever spoke that language to you — they just handed you a dictionary and expected you to figure it out. That would be incredibly hard, right?
That's what it can be like for a child who's given an AAC system but never sees anyone else use it. The system sits there full of words, but without modelling, it's like a dictionary without a teacher.
Aided language stimulation is the teacher. It brings the system to life and shows your child that this is a real, valid, powerful way to communicate. The children whose parents model regularly are the ones who take off. Parents often tell us, "I can't believe how much they already understood about their system — I just needed to show them I believed in it too."
Common Questions Parents Ask
"Do I need to point to every word?"
No. Speech pathologists usually start families with one or two key words per sentence, building from there as confidence grows.
"What if I can't find the right symbol fast enough?"
That's completely normal, especially when you're starting out. It's actually good for your child to see you searching — it shows them that navigating the system takes practice for everyone.
"Should I expect my child to copy what I model?"
Not at all. Aided language stimulation is about input, not output. Just like spoken language, children need to take in a lot of language before they start producing it — one of the reasons a therapist will usually ask families to model without expectation, and coach them through the patience it takes.
Getting Started
If your child uses or is being introduced to an AAC system, aided language stimulation is one of the best things you can do at home. In our next article, we'll share practical tips for weaving it into your daily routines — from mealtimes to bath time to reading together.
Aided language stimulation is one of the most rewarding things you can learn as a parent of a child who uses AAC. It takes practice, but every bit of modelling counts. If you'd like support getting started — or building on what you're already doing — get in touch with us. Any actual clinical work — assessment, diagnosis, or therapy — happens through a proper consultation tailored to your child. We'd love to walk alongside your family on this journey.
References
- Goossens', C., Crain, S., & Elder, P. (1992). Engineering the Preschool Environment for Interactive, Symbolic Communication. Southeast Augmentative Communication Conference Publications.
- Sennott, S. C., Light, J. C., & McNaughton, D. (2016). AAC modelling intervention research review. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 41(2), 101–115.
- Speech Pathology Australia. (2020). Augmentative and alternative communication clinical guidelines. Speech Pathology Australia.
Ready for practical strategies? Read our companion article: How to Use Aided Language Stimulation at Home: Tips for Brisbane Families
Alexandra Bouwmeester is a Senior Speech Pathologist (MSPA, CPSP) with over 14 years' experience supporting children who use AAC, including specialist training in PODD. She offers mobile speech pathology to families across Brisbane's south side and Logan.
