Starting AAC: what to expect in the first six months
AAC isn't a quick fix and it's not a last resort. Here's what realistic progress looks like — and what to ignore from people who say it 'should be faster'.
The first six months with AAC look different from what most families expect — and very different from what some clinicians promise. Here’s the honest version.
Months 1–2: exposure and modelling
Nothing dramatic happens, and that’s normal. You’ll be modelling AAC in everyday moments. Your communicator might watch, ignore, explore the device, or push it away. All of that is data.
What we look for: comfort with the device being present. Curiosity. Occasional touches.
Months 3–4: first meaningful uses
Often it starts with one motivating word. “More”. “Open”. “Bluey”. The communicator chooses it deliberately, gets the response, and the connection clicks. From there, words slowly accumulate.
What to ignore: anyone who says they should be using sentences by now.
Months 5–6: building combinations
We look for two-symbol combinations and the beginning of self-initiated requests. Some communicators are well past this. Many are still consolidating single words. Both are fine.
The thing nobody warns you about: this is when families often stop modelling because the AAC user “has it now”. Don’t. Modelling continues for years. Aided language stimulation is the whole game.