SpeakPad Blog - AAC Tips & Resources

AAC at Snack Time and Play: Everyday Examples for Families

Practical AAC modelling examples for snacks, bubbles and toys. Show requests, comments, refusals and help without turning a shared activity into a test.

Bilingual AAC at Home: Making Room for Both Family Languages

Practical bilingual AAC examples for meals, play and family visits, with ways to support both languages without turning communication into a test.

First/Then Boards and Visual Schedules: A Practical AAC Guide

Compare a First/Then board, a visual schedule and a communication board. Make a simple SpeakPad routine with clear steps while keeping choice and communication available.

Irish-English AAC for Families and Irish-Medium Classrooms

A practical guide to Irish-English AAC: familiar phrases, Irish board labels with English menus, built-in Irish voices and a useful home-school handover.

Keeping AAC Consistent Across Home, School and Therapy

Choose free board-file sharing, same-account updates or SpeakPad team sharing. A practical handover checklist for families, teachers and therapists using AAC together.

AAC for Children With Cerebral Palsy

For children with cerebral palsy the question is rarely whether they have something to say. It is how to get a reliable movement to say it with. Here is how modern AAC solves that.

AAC for Children With Down Syndrome

Many children with Down syndrome understand far more than they can say. Here is how AAC closes that gap while speech develops, and how it fits alongside signing.

AAC for Gestalt Language Processors

Some children learn language in whole phrases rather than single words. Here is how to set up an AAC app that works with that, not against it.

Moving From PECS to an AAC App

Laminated cards taught your child that pictures have power. Here is how to carry that skill onto an iPad without losing momentum, and why it is a head start rather than a restart.

Apps for Late Talkers: What Helps and What to Skip

Some toddlers catch up on their own and some need more support. Here is when to seek help, and what makes an app genuinely worth having in the meantime.

How to Lock an iPad to One App with Guided Access

Hand a child an iPad and they can be out of your app and into YouTube in seconds. Guided Access fixes that. Set it up once, and locking takes three clicks.

Will AAC Stop My Child From Talking?

It is the question nearly every parent asks before starting AAC. The research has a clear and reassuring answer.

What Are Core Words? A Simple Guide to AAC Core Vocabulary

A few hundred core words make up about 80% of everything we say. Teaching a child words like 'more' and 'stop' unlocks more communication than a hundred picture-nouns. Here is where to start.

AAC for Childhood Apraxia of Speech (CAS): A Parent's Guide

Childhood apraxia of speech means the thoughts are there but the words get stuck. Here is how AAC gives them a reliable way out, and why it supports speech rather than replacing it.

Best Free AAC Apps for iPad in 2026

A comparison of the best free AAC apps for iPad in 2026, what each one actually costs, and who each one suits, starting with SpeakPad.

How to Import AAC Boards from Other Apps (OBF & OBZ Explained)

Open Board Format can help you move compatible boards between AAC apps. Learn the difference between .obf and .obz files, how to import them, and what to check after a transfer.

Best AAC Apps for Autism on iPad (Parent Guide)

A practical parent guide to choosing an AAC app for autism on iPad, including what to compare and how to choose quickly.

The Best AAC Apps for Toddlers with Speech Delays

Finding the right AAC app for a toddler can be overwhelming. We break down the top options to help you choose the best fit for your child's communication needs.

How to Introduce an AAC Device to a Non-Verbal Child

The first few weeks with an AAC device set the tone for how your child will relate to this new communication tool. This guide walks you through practical, evidence-based strategies for introducing AAC.