Proloquo2Go (P2G) in the Classroom: Providing Speech, Communication, Behavioral Support, Academic, and Social Support for Students

Introduction

Augmentative or alternative communication (AAC) is a method of communicating language for those who do not use verbal speech. Unaided AAC can be accomplished through sign language, gestures, or photos, while aided AAC combines these with some form of speech output. In this chapter we’ll explore the use of AAC for students who benefit from AAC and will focus our learning on a specific AAC program called Proloquo2Go (P2G).

AAC devices have long been used with children who have expressive (use of language to share ideas with others) or receptive (understanding the language used by others) language challenges. These children may have co-occurring physical disabilities that make the use of sign language impossible, or cognitive processing disorders that make learning and applying sign language so difficult that it is not an effective means of communication. Regardless of the reason for the need for an AAC output device, children with language use impairments typically display increased psychosocial impairment, reduced academic performance, and diminished social opportunity as compared to typical peers (Berenguer et al., 2022). Most AAC devices provide pictures or symbols that, when tapped by the user, provide a speech output of the corresponding word (Langarika-Rocafort et al., 2021).