B3 How is AAC funded?
AAC devices are considered to be “durable medical equipment” and generally are funded through private insurance or through Medicaid. The process in obtaining an AAC device has many steps. First, a team of people who work with the individual who is hoping to acquire a device must be gathered for the purpose of evaluating AAC devices. This team must include a licensed Speech/Language Pathologist (SLP). Other members of this team may include Occupational Therapist, Physical Therapist, teacher, parent or caregiver, psychologist and technology specialist. The SLP would coordinate the use of several different AAC devices for the individual to try. The individual has the opportunity to interact with the devices, hopefully experiencing communicative success in the course of the evaluative period. At the end of the interaction with the technology, the individual, with the support of the team, will make a decision on what device will work best and offer the most communicative options.
