Centre for Augmentative and Alternative Communication

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 better 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.

On 21 January 2026, Ms Zakiyya Laher successfully defended her doctoral thesis entitled: “The effect of Intensive Intera...
23/01/2026

On 21 January 2026, Ms Zakiyya Laher successfully defended her doctoral thesis entitled: “The effect of Intensive Interaction on preverbal communication and cortical brain activity in children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities.”

In her study, Zakiyya evaluated the effect of Intensive Interaction as a responsive socially interactive approach to develop preverbal communication and shared attention in children with profound and multiple intellectual disabilities. The study was complemented by objective measures using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) to examine changes in interaction-related cortical activity during Intensive Interaction.

The results indicate the potential of Intensive Interaction as an approach for supporting preverbal communication in children with profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. Zakiyya completed her doctoral thesis under the supervision of Shakila Dada, Adele May and Nerrolyn Ramstrand (Jönköping University).

We are delighted to celebrate this achievement with Zakiyya and wish her continued success in her academic and research journey.



✨We are back and ready for 2026! ✨The Centre for AAC is open again and ready for the new year. We are excited to share m...
19/01/2026

✨We are back and ready for 2026! ✨
The Centre for AAC is open again and ready for the new year. We are excited to share more academic and clinical resources, research and achievements with you in 2026.


✨🎉Happy New Year from all of us at the Centre for AAC.May 2026 be filled with growth, connection and possibilities.
01/01/2026

✨🎉Happy New Year from all of us at the Centre for AAC.
May 2026 be filled with growth, connection and possibilities.


May this Day of Goodwill inspire kindness in our hearts, unity in our communities, and hope for a brighter tomorrow. ...
26/12/2025

May this Day of Goodwill inspire kindness in our hearts, unity in our communities, and hope for a brighter tomorrow.

At Christmas, Christians around the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a day to reflect on the message of ...
20/12/2025

At Christmas, Christians around the world celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ. It is a day to reflect on the message of peace, joy and love. We are sharing our communication board ahead of time to ensure everyone can take part in conversations as they prepare for Christmas. We wish everyone who will soon celebrate, a wonderful day with family and friends.




🇿🇦The Day of Reconciliation, established in 1995, promotes unity and healing in South Africa after apartheid. December 1...
16/12/2025

🇿🇦The Day of Reconciliation, established in 1995, promotes unity and healing in South Africa after apartheid. December 16th marks our shared commitment to equality and reconciliation. May this day inspire us to work together to build an inclusive society.



International Human Rights Day is celebrated annually on 10 December. The 2025 theme reminds us that “Human rights are e...
10/12/2025

International Human Rights Day is celebrated annually on 10 December. The 2025 theme reminds us that “Human rights are everyday essentials”.

Human rights are not abstract. In fact, we rely on our human rights constantly even without noticing. They shape the food we eat, the words we speak, the opportunities we pursue, and the protections that keep us safe.

Human rights are attainable in the small, practical choices we make every day. These choices include treating others with respect, challenging unfairness, and creating space for voices that are often excluded. Human rights are essential and recognising them in everyday moments moves us closer to inclusion.


📢 16 Days of Activism | 25 November - 10 DecemberThis 16 Days of Activism, we shine a light on the invisible victims of ...
08/12/2025

📢 16 Days of Activism | 25 November - 10 December

This 16 Days of Activism, we shine a light on the invisible victims of gender-based violence.

Children with disabilities face compounded risks, including heightened risk of violence and barriers to reporting.

· Globally, children with disabilities are 3 - 4 times more likely to experience violence compared to children without disabilities.1
· In South Africa, r**e accounts for 38.3% of all reported crimes against children, with common assault and assault with grievous bodily harm making up 45%.2
· Disabled children are often excluded from protection services, face communication barriers and are treated as unreliable witnesses in court.1
· Poverty, isolation, and lack of accessible support increase their vulnerability to abuse and exploitation.1

🔍 What can be done?
· Train frontline workers to recognize and respond to abuse in children with disabilities
· Ensure GBV services physically, linguistically, and emotionally accessible
· Include disability in GBV data collection to make invisible victims visible
· Support children with disabilities through inclusive education and develop safe and reliable reporting channels

This 16 Days of Activism, let us remember: Violence thrives in silence and exclusion. Inclusion is protection. Let’s make every child count.

🧡 From 16 Days of Activism to 365 Days of Action 🧡

1 Bekink, M. (2021). The Protection of Disabled Child Victims within the South African Criminal Justice System: Shining a Light on the Invisible and Forgotten Victims of Crime. Afr. Disability Rts. YB, 9, 23.

2 https://www.statssa.gov.za/?p=17674

🎉Happy Holidays🎉The Centre for AAC will be closed from 5th December 2025 to 14th January 2026 for a well-deserved break....
05/12/2025

🎉Happy Holidays🎉

The Centre for AAC will be closed from 5th December 2025 to 14th January 2026 for a well-deserved break. We thank all of you who have engaged with us this year. We wish you and your family a safe, blessed and restful holiday season - and we cannot wait to connect with you again in the new year.



🎥We are pleased to share the links to our AAC Awareness Month webinar series, now available to watch online. The webinar...
05/12/2025

🎥We are pleased to share the links to our AAC Awareness Month webinar series, now available to watch online. The webinars were presented by four international speakers around the theme of AAC and Aphasia. Feel free to watch and share.


Click the youtube links below:

Amber Thiessen
3 October 2025
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=khQbDvFpt5U

Anna Caute
10 October 2025
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aAOX8OSEyjo

Sarah E. Wallace
17 October 2025
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dyCmlHH8odg&feature=youtu.be

Tiffany Chavers
24 October 2025
🔗 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g7USal_8fWg



More than 1.3 billion people worldwide live with a significant disability. Disabilities can be physical, cognitive, sens...
03/12/2025

More than 1.3 billion people worldwide live with a significant disability. Disabilities can be physical, cognitive, sensory, psychosocial, developmental or acquired, and people experience them in many different ways.

Disability itself is not the barrier - exclusion is. Inaccessible buildings, discriminatory employment practices, and negative assumptions about disability continue to limit people far more than their disabilities ever could. These barriers must be confronted and dismantled.

On International Day of Persons with Disabilities 2025, we amplify our commitment to inclusion and participation. We stand with persons with disabilities - especially those who face additional marginalisation due to communication disabilities. Let’s raise disability awareness, challenge exclusionary systems, and work towards a world where people with disabilities are included, respected and valued.





The theme of World AIDS Day 2025 is “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response,” with the sub-theme: Let Com...
01/12/2025

The theme of World AIDS Day 2025 is “Overcoming disruption, transforming the AIDS response,” with the sub-theme: Let Communities Lead

HIV/AIDS do not exist in isolation. They intersect with poverty, disability, stigma, and systemic exclusion. Disrupted services lead to missed diagnoses, delayed interventions, and lost potential, especially for children with disabilities and developmental risks.

We can transform the response by:

- Ensuring early childhood services include HIV screening and support
- Training health workers to recognize developmental risks in HIV-exposed children
- Supporting inclusive programs that reach all families, including those of children with disabilities and developmental delay
- Letting the voices of those affected guide the way to reduce stigma and foster inclusion
- Inclusion is the foundation of an effective HIV/AIDS response

📢 Join the movement. Advocate for inclusive care.

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

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