What our clients say about Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC)
She can express herself
Rovy is our only child, she is 7 year old but non verbal, she has hypotonia with limited mobility. Thankfully, she is able to understand us, but finds it challenging to she express herself at times, particularly for non-family members. We have explored using PECS however her weak finger power has limit its use.
We are lucky that we have known AAC whereby it’s an excellent platform for Rovy to express herself. We have been using AAC for almost a year, she’s able to make 2-3 words phrases, recognise all colours, most importantly indicate her daily needs ie food, toilet time. I strongly recommend AAC to all non-verbal children.
- Dr Lau Li Kin, mother of Rovy (7 years old)
Positive effect in language and speech development
Afiq was introduced to AAC when he was 2 years and 6 months old. Before that, Afiq cannot utter any words. After 5 months of using the AAC, Afiq was able to get (find and say) a lot of words. What I noticed is that the words mentioned by Afiq are found in the AAC. Since Afiq has repetitive behaviours, he likes to see and press the pictures of the images found in the Apps. I am very satisfied with this AAC program. It has a very positive effect in terms of his language and speech development.
- Rosemawati, mother of Afiq (3 years old)
Breakthrough to verbal speech
The comm board (TalkXpress) was the breakthrough my son needed to start communicating verbally. It was his initial way of communication with us which eventually led him to learn words, speak, express himself and convey his message across in a proper manner. With the guidance and advice from Ms Deborah, and discipline from the people around him, we were able to see great progress.
- Michelle, mother of Ezra (3 years old)
Improved AAC accessibility, leading to communication ease & joy
Marc has been learning to communicate since he was 5 years old, using everything from hand signs to an electronic communication board. But there were limitations to how effective these tools are due to his physical constraints. Further, as he grows older he needed to have a more effective system where he can expand his vocabulary and his communication.
When we met Deborah and Simon, Marc was using the Proloquo2Go system on his mobile and was struggling to maximize its usage. Deborah and Simon have been instrumental in assisting to improve his accessibility by constructing a keyguard, stabilizing his trunk and upper body and using gloves to allow him to break through in his usage of Proloquo2Go app. Though this new journey has just started for Marc, he is already expanding his range of words and finding the ease and joy in expressing himself. We truly believe that AAC has and will continue to change and improve the way he communicates moving forward.
- Victor, Sook Kwan (parents), and Lisa, caregiver of Marc (18 years old)
一起床就跟我沟通
第一次认识GoTalk辅助沟通系统的时候，我是抱着顾虑，没信心的心态。因为我还没认识时，我是用PECS治疗的，用了两年多时间没见到效果。第一个老师用了1年时间，到她没做了换了老师又教回之前学过的，真的是浪费时间和金钱。
轮到我认识和用着这个GoTalk系统，我是很开心，惊讶，因为我的儿子他很喜欢，懂的用。现在一起床就跟我要求要GoTalk系统跟我沟通他要什么。 我在这里想跟所有家长说，你们要想清楚孩子什么性格，喜欢什么，才决定用什么系统。
- Irene, mother of Wai Xian (6 years old)
Improved quality of life
As Muhammad gets older, he has a lot to say. Like everyone else, he needs to express his individuality and get his needs met, but he struggled to do so due to his multiple disabilities. AAC has enabled him to communicate in ways that are manageable for him and understandable for the communication partners. It helps to lift a barrier in communication, encourage socialization and improve our quality of life.
Teletherapy is convenient for me because it saves costs and energy, and is accessible almost everywhere. That makes continuation of therapy more likely.
-Aishah, mother to Muhammad (5 years old)
Joy of learning
Joshua has been diagnosed with ASD. He has been having difficulty expressing himself verbally to us what he wants and needs. After being introduced an AAC system, he is able to express through words meaningfully by using TalkXpress communication book. It does help him to understand the wording together with the pictures. And also help him to expand his vocabulary by using the book.
It is convenient and save cost through teletherapy. With the help of Ms Deborah, I am learning on how to use the communication book to communicate with Joshua effectively. Joshua found joy of learning through teletherapy as well.
-Siu Hui, mother to Joshua (7 years old)
Increased communication
AAC helped Kael to express what he feels and made us understand what he wants even if he cannot say it verbally. The system he is using encourages him to communicate more and explore as well.
-Karen, mother to Kael (6 years old)
My son can communicate
Azeem was diagnosed with ASD and Non Verbal since he was 3-year old back in year 2016. As advised by a Paediatric Neurologist, he was sent for both OT & SLT therapy sessions since 2016. There was progress in OT sessions but for SLT, it seems like Azeem did not cooperate with the therapist. I went for a second opinion to see Child Development Specialist Dr. Cindy Chan from Sunway Medical Centre. She recommended Azeem to use AAC which is taught by Ms Deborah.
Before I personally contacted Ms. Deborah, I did my own study to understand what is AAC is about. Generally AAC is a medium of communication for non verbal kids to communicate using various methods. We started our session at my home in September 2020, where Ms. Deborah introduced the TalkXpress communication book to us. At the early stage, Azeem refused to hold and look at the communication book. However, after a few therapy sessions which were held online due to CMCO restrictions, my helper and I have managed to use the TalkXpress to do activities with Azeem.
He is progressing very well, as Dr. Cindy also noticed that during follow-ups, as we brought the communication book together with us. Azeem is a good boy and understands instructions. Through body gestures and the communication book, Azeem can communicate that he wants something, indicate emotions (e.g. happy, angry), and what he likes most. I also use gestures and the communication book in order to communicate with him to make him understand what is actually happening.
-Wan, mother to Muhammad Azeem (7 years old)