Specialized Programs
CAP — Communication Access Program
Every child deserves a way to be heard. Our AAC program helps children access individualized communication supports so their thoughts, feelings, wants, and needs can be acknowledged, respected, and honored.
Understanding AAC
What is AAC?
AAC stands for augmentative and alternative communication. It includes all the ways a person communicates besides speech alone — such as gestures, facial expressions, pictures, communication boards, and speech-generating devices.
AAC can add to spoken language or serve as another way to communicate when speech is limited or not yet reliable. Children may benefit from AAC when they have difficulty expressing themselves clearly, consistently, or efficiently — whether they are not yet talking, have limited spoken words, or need extra support to participate across home, school, therapy, and community settings.
A Note on Who Benefits
AAC is not only for children who are fully nonverbal. It also supports children who are preverbal, minimally verbal, or whose speech is not consistently understood.
AAC
Augmentative & Alternative Communication
Our Beliefs
Our AAC Philosophy
At The LEEAP Center, accessibility to individualized communication is a top priority. Our approach is grounded in four core beliefs.
Communication is a human right, not a reward.
AAC is not only for children who are fully nonverbal — it also supports children who are preverbal, minimally verbal, or whose speech is not consistently understood.
AAC does not replace a child's voice. It supports language, participation, connection, and confidence.
The best AAC system is individualized. Assessment is ongoing and may evolve over time.
Watch & Learn
See AAC in Action
Watch how AAC empowers children to communicate, connect, and thrive.
Our Process
How We Approach AAC
We look at the whole child — communication, access, regulation, learning, routines, partners, and environments — so recommendations are practical and meaningful.
What We Look At
- Current communication skills
- How the child asks, protests, comments, and connects
- Motor and access needs
- Attention, engagement, and learning profile
- Communication partners and daily environments
What We May Recommend
- Low-tech supports (visuals, core boards, communication books)
- High-tech speech-generating devices
- Vocabulary and language system recommendations
- Family and caregiver coaching
- Therapy strategies for carryover at home and in sessions
In Our Center
AAC in Action at The LEEAP Center
Step-by-Step
How Our AAC Assessment Process Works
We have designed our process to be clear, collaborative, and supportive for families. Below is a simplified overview of what parents and caregivers can expect — from first exposure all the way to device setup and family training.
10-Step Collaborative Process
From first exposure to permanent device setup
Speech-language pathologists introduce AAC supports during therapy sessions to observe how the child responds to visual and/or high-tech communication options.
Where Is Your Child?
How We Think About Communicator Levels
Children do not all start in the same place with AAC. We use clinical observation and AAC profiles to understand where a child is right now so we can choose goals, supports, and expectations that fit their stage of communication development.
Emerging Communicator
The child does not yet have a reliable symbolic system and may communicate primarily through body movement, facial expressions, vocalizations, behaviors, or early gestures.
Goal
Build intentional communication and introduce meaningful symbols.
Wants & Needs Communicator
The child is beginning to use symbols or AAC primarily to request preferred items or activities.
Goal
Expand vocabulary, partners, and reasons for communication.
Context-Cue Communicator
The child can often communicate best within familiar routines, familiar topics, and familiar partners.
Goal
Increase flexibility, sentence use, and success across more settings.
Transitional Communicator
The child is using more complex language and is becoming more independent with asking questions, answering, repairing breakdowns, and communicating across situations.
Goal
Increase independence, efficiency, and broader participation.
Our Commitment
What Families Can Expect From Us
- A respectful, strengths-based approach that honors your child's current way of communicating.
- Clear recommendations explained in family-friendly language.
- Collaboration with caregivers and, when appropriate, other providers and environments.
- Coaching on how to model and support AAC in daily routines.
- An understanding that AAC implementation is a journey — not a one-time event.
A Few Important Reminders
- ·AAC is multimodal — children may use speech, gestures, pictures, signs, and devices together.
- ·There is no single device that is right for every child.
- ·Assessment is ongoing — systems may change as a child grows and gains new skills.
- ·The goal is real communication for connection, participation, learning, and self-expression.
We're Here to Help
Interested in Learning More About This Program?
Click the link below and one of our specialists will be happy to assist your child and your family. We look forward to connecting with you!
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