What are the opening hours?

Monday 08:00 - 16:00 Tuesday 08:00 - 16:00 Wednesday 08:00 - 16:00 Thursday 08:00 - 16:00 Friday 08:00 - 16:00

Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication

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South Africa
Pretoria
Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication

We focus on research, education and advocacy in Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) What do we do?

The Centre for AAC at the University of Pretoria aims to provide research and training to improve the lives of persons with severe communication disabilities and their families. The Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication was founded in 1990 by Prof Erna Alant in conjunction with Prof Lyle Lloyd from the USA. The impetus to start the Centre came from concerned parents requesting bett

er and more coordinated service delivery for their children with severe disabilities and little or no functional speech. The activities of the Centre quickly expanded from direct service delivery to training and education through degree and non-degree courses. Research was also added to provide evidence-based services appropriate to the South African context, and to mobilise support for persons with little or no functional speech by providing credible evidence of the challenges they face. Today the Centre functions as a postgraduate educational entity at the University of Pretoria, while also maintaining the status of a non-profit organisation, owing to various community projects and commitments. Most of the CAAC main activities are focussed on research, teaching and training is the fields of Augmentative and Alternative Communication and Early Childhood Intervention. The training are conducted in various settings including preschool, primary and secondary levels as well as other institutions and health care settings to support inclusion of children and adults with severe disabilities into the educational, health and employment context. Activities focus on training as well as material and technology development to support inclusion of children and adults with severe communication disabilities into communities. Training

In the over 30 years of the existence of the CAAC, staff has trained over 10 000 persons who use AAC, parents, teachers, and therapists in enhancing communication with individuals with severe disabilities. Follow-up visits to contexts confirmed that the CAAC has reached over eight thousand children, youth, and adults through training of families, community leaders and other professionals. Activities include training in communities as well as five post-graduate programs in the fields of early childhood intervention, severe disabilities and AAC. Leadership and advocacy

The CAAC recently embarked on a national project to assist youth with severe disabilities in getting access to communication and information technology, called the Fofa Project. This project assists young people to "speak for themselves" and facilitate their access to employment. Research

The CAAC staff and students are engaged on an ongoing basis in research in the fields of AAC, severe disabilities and early childhood intervention.

24/04/2026

📚✨ To celebrate , we’ve created a symbol supported version of Eric Hill’s classic story “Where’s Spot?”

This adapted version shows how symbols and text from the story can be combined to make books more accessible.

Using symbols during shared reading helps children follow the story, understand key vocabulary, and take part in the fun of searching for Spot. A parent, therapist, or teacher can sit alongside the child, model the symbols as they read, and use pauses to invite the child to respond, comment, or ask questions.

Symbol supported books turn reading into a shared, interactive experience, where every child has a way to join the story.

24/04/2026

📚✨ Symbols make stories more accessible

Shared reading isn’t just about turning pages. It’s about connection, participation, and helping children make meaning from the world around them.

For many children, including AAC users, emergent communicators, multilingual learners, and children with developmental or sensory needs, symbols can transform a book from something to listen to into something they can join in with.

Why include symbols in shared book reading?
🌟 They build symbolic understanding: Matching a symbol to a picture, object, or action helps children learn that one thing can stand for another, the foundation of literacy, AAC, and language
💬 They support expressive communication: Symbols give children a way to comment, request, label, protest, and participate in the story
👀 They strengthen comprehension: Visual cues help children follow the plot, understand key vocabulary, and link words to meaning
🤝 They create natural moments for turn taking: Choosing a symbol, placing it on the page, or acting it out becomes a shared interaction between child and adult
🌍 They support multilingual learning: Symbols help children map meaning across languages, whether spoken, signed, or AAC
👐 They make reading more inclusive: When symbols, textures, and objects are added to books, more children can access the story in the way that works best for them

Every child deserves a way into books.

23/04/2026

📚✨ Shared reading is about connection: turn taking, shared attention, joy, and being together in the story.

For some children, especially those who use AAC or need extra sensory support, the flat 2D nature of books can make reading feel abstract. Small, thoughtful adaptations can transform a book into an experience.

Tactile and interactive elements bring stories to life:
👐 Add textures to make pages more engaging
🧸 Use miniatures and real objects to make abstract ideas concrete
✂️ Include lift offs, tabs, and movable pieces to support exploration and participation
🎨 Layer mixed media to help children connect with characters, actions, and emotions
🐾 Match objects to story events to support comprehension, sequencing, and playful interaction

These small adaptations turn reading into a multi sensory, accessible experience, especially for children who learn best through touch, movement, and hands on exploration.

22/04/2026

✨Books are full of rich language opportunities, and reading time is a perfect moment to model core words in real, meaningful contexts.

Speech bubbles can highlight key words and make language more visual. They also give children clear cues on what to say, how to join in, and when to take a turn, which is especially helpful for children who use AAC.

Tips for using speech bubbles in books and stories:

💬 Pick one core word for the session and use it repeatedly across stories and contexts
💬 Point to the speech bubble and model the target word or phrase on the AAC system
💬 Use expectant pauses to give the child time to process and respond
💬 Repeat keywords to reinforce meaning
💬 Use bubbles to practise core words like go, look, help, stop, more, and want

Speech bubble books turn stories into shared moments of communication, supporting participation, language growth, and joy.

21/04/2026

📚✨ Support access to books by adding page fluffers or spacers between pages

Page fluffers, whether made from foam, Velcro tabs, or small pegs, are a simple, effective way to make books more accessible for children who use AAC, have motor challenges, or need extra support to turn pages independently.

How can page fluffers help?

💪 Support motor access: Thicker page edges make grasping and turning easier

🧠 Build autonomy: Children can explore books at their own pace

👀 Keep attention on the story: Less frustration, more engagement

🗣️ Boost communication opportunities: Easier page turns create more space for shared language, commenting, and requesting

🤲 Encourage participation: Every successful page turn reinforces “I can do this”

Small adaptations, like page fluffers, create meaningful opportunities for every child to participate fully in story time and enjoy the magic of books.

20/04/2026

📖✨ Reading matters for ALL children

Reading builds language, connection, imagination, and shared joy. Every child deserves stories. And every child deserves access to them.

Children with disabilities and those who use AAC benefit just as much from shared reading, especially when books are adapted to match their communication strengths.

Children who use AAC thrive when books are accessible, interactive, and support their communication needs.

📚In honour of World Book Day on 23 April, we will be sharing practical, inclusive ways to adapt books so that story time becomes more engaging and accessible for every child 💛

08/04/2026

The Centre for AAC was delighted to welcome our founder, Prof Erna Alant, for a recent visit. During her time with us, she engaged with the team on curriculum review and consulted on research, student supervision, and teaching. She provided invaluable mentorship, drawing on her decades of expertise.

Prof Alant also met with the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and the Dean of the Faculty of Education, as well as colleagues from the Department of Occupational Therapy in the Faculty of Health Sciences.

Prof Alant offered valuable feedback and critical reflections that were much appreciated. Her input will continue to strengthen our research, teaching, and student supervision.

07/04/2026

🌍 World Health Day 2026: Together for health. Stand with science. Communication is a human right and essential for health 🌍

At the Centre for AAC, we challenge the myth that not being able to speak means having nothing to say. Yet many people with communication disabilities still struggle to access clear, reliable health information. When messages are complex or inaccessible, misinformation grows, and health outcomes are affected.

To strengthen trust in evidence-based guidance, the Centre for AAC, Future Africa and UNICEF co-designed accessible health communication materials with youth with disabilities, caregivers, and professionals in 2020. These include communication boards, social stories, visual schedules and more - all supporting understanding, expression, and participation in healthcare.

👉 Download the free resources: https://www.up.ac.za/centre-for-augmentative-alternative-communication/co-designing-health-education-materials

This World Health Day, the Centre for AAC reaffirms that health for all is impossible without access to communication. When communication is accessible, science becomes accessible.

02/04/2026

Visual schedules are not one-size-fits-all. That is exactly what makes them powerful.

We are sharing simple examples of object-based, photograph-based, line-drawing, and token-supported schedules to show how each can support understanding, independence and smoother transitions.

There is a visual approach that can meet everyone's needs and grow with them. Let’s make daily routines feel clearer and more accessible for everyone.

02/04/2026

🌟 Visual schedules: A simple tool with a big impact 🌟

Today, on World Autism Acceptance Day, we are sharing how visual schedules can help autistic people feel more confident, prepared, and in control of their day.

For people who process visual information more easily than spoken language, schedules offer a clear, accessible way to understand expectations and routines.

The use of visual schedules respects different ways of processing the world and offers tools that match different strengths.

In a world that can feel unpredictable, a visual schedule can offer:

Clarity: Showing what is happening now and what is coming next reduces anxiety and uncertainty
- Independence: Supporting people to start, continue, and finish tasks without constant or repeated verbal reminders that could become overwhelming
- Transition support: Helping prepare for changes, new activities, or unexpected shifts. A visual schedule provides a stable anchor even when people or places change.
- Communication support: Offering a concrete way to understand routines, choices, and expectations
- Consistency: Creating a predictable rhythm that supports emotional regulation and participation

🧩When we make routines visible, we make participation possible. 🧩When we honour different ways of understanding the world, we build inclusion.

01/04/2026

The Centre for AAC was honoured to welcome Prof Erna Alant, founder of the Centre for AAC, for her recent talk “Making-Meaning Across a Lifetime: Personal and Professional Reflections” on March 27th.

Her presentation invited us to think about meaning‑making not as an abstract concept, but as a deeply human process - being with ourselves and doing with others, engaging in the everyday activities that shape who we are becoming.

One of the most powerful moments was the case study of an adult with severe disabilities. Through this story, Prof Alant highlighted the elements that help us navigate change and create meaning across the lifespan. Many of us felt these insights resonate with our own professional and personal journeys. They reminded us that intimacy and trust shift over time, and that it is important to meet those transitions with openness and care.

We are deeply grateful for the wisdom and gentle reminders Prof Alant shared. Meaning is something we co‑create, moment by moment, in relationship with others. 🌿

31/03/2026

📢 New publication alert

We are excited to share a new article by Ngwanamashiane Rahab Mothapo, Kerstin Tönsing and Gloria Soto: “Hearing stakeholder voices in the design of a non electronic Sepedi graphic symbol based AAC resource” (2025).

This work centres the voices of stakeholders, families, AAC users, and practitioners, in developing a culturally grounded, non electronic Sepedi graphic symbol resource. It is an important contribution to inclusive AAC design, language preservation, and community driven innovation.

If you are passionate about multilingual AAC, participatory design, or culturally responsive communication tools, this article is well worth the read.

📄 Download the full article here: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/pdf/10.1080/07434618.2025.2588554

Address

University Of Pretoria, 2 Lynnwood Road
Pretoria
0020

Opening Hours

Monday	08:00 - 16:00
Tuesday	08:00 - 16:00
Wednesday	08:00 - 16:00
Thursday	08:00 - 16:00
Friday	08:00 - 16:00

Website

http://www.caac.up.ac.za/

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