Myths & misconceptions

Will AAC Stop My Child From Talking?

VOIS Team · Updated 3 August 2026

When parents first hear about AAC, one question often comes up straight away: if my child can point to a picture or press a button, will they stop trying to talk?

It is an understandable worry. Speaking can take a huge amount of effort for some children. If there is another way to ask for a snack, a favourite toy, or help, it can seem natural to wonder whether speech will be left behind.

The short answer is that AAC is not shown to stop children from speaking. But it is important to be clear about what that does — and does not — mean.

AAC and speech are not competing choices

AAC stands for augmentative and alternative communication. It can include pictures, communication boards, gestures, signs, written words, and speech-generating devices or apps.

AAC is not meant to take communication away from a child. It gives them another way to express themselves when speech is difficult, unclear, unreliable, or not available in that moment.

A child may use AAC to ask for something, make a comment, say no, share an idea, or join in a conversation. They may also use spoken words, gestures, facial expressions, and sounds. Communication does not have to come through only one route.

What the research says

Researchers have looked closely at whether AAC affects speech development.

Two widely cited reviews examined AAC interventions and speech production in people with developmental disabilities and in children on the autism spectrum. The studies reviewed did not find evidence that AAC use reduced speech. In many cases, participants showed some increase in speech production alongside AAC use.

The results varied from child to child, and the gains were often modest. AAC is not a guaranteed path to spoken language, and no app or communication tool should promise that it is.

What the available research does support is this: providing AAC does not appear to prevent speech. It can give a child a reliable way to communicate while their speech and language development continue in their own way and at their own pace.

Why having a way to communicate matters

Speaking and communicating are connected, but they are not the same thing.

Speech involves the physical act of producing spoken words. Communication includes much more: having something to say, knowing that someone will listen, taking turns, making choices, being understood, and trying again when a message is missed.

For a child who is often misunderstood, a communication tool can reduce frustration and create more opportunities for successful back-and-forth with other people. Those interactions matter. They let a child participate in everyday life instead of having to wait until speech is easier.

AAC does not ask a child to give up on speech. It gives them a way to be heard today.

AAC can be used alongside talking

AAC works best when it is part of real communication, not a test a child has to pass.

A parent, teacher, therapist, or sibling might say a word aloud while also pointing to the matching card. A child might point to a picture and attempt part of the word at the same time. They might use a card on one day and a spoken word on another.

All of those are valid ways to communicate.

The most helpful approach is usually to respond to the message, rather than focusing only on how it was delivered. If a child asks for a biscuit with a picture, gesture, sound, or spoken word, they have communicated something important.

Where VOIS fits in

VOIS is designed to help families build communication boards around the things that are already meaningful to their child: familiar people, food, routines, places, activities, and words.

You can use images and labels that make sense in your family's everyday life. Where you choose to add a voice recording to a card, it remains on the device where it was recorded.

VOIS is not a replacement for professional support, and it does not promise that a child will develop spoken language. It is a tool for helping a child communicate, participate, and be understood.

Every child's communication journey is different

Some children use AAC alongside increasing spoken language. Some continue to use AAC as their main communication method for many years or throughout life. Neither outcome is a failure.

The goal is not to make a child communicate in one particular way. The goal is to make sure they have a dependable way to express themselves.

If you are considering AAC for your child, speak with a speech-language therapist or another professional who knows them well. They can help you think through the communication supports that may be useful for your child's needs.

Giving a child a way to communicate is not taking something away from them. It is giving them more ways to be heard.