I have extensive experience with AAC, both high- and low- tech. Decision making in respect to AAC must be highly individualized and relevant to a child’s specific needs. The choice of which AAC modality/modalities must take into account the whole child and their everyday environments/experiences. AAC should be a collaborative partnership between the clinician, the child, the family, and any other salient members of the support team (e.g., teacher, siblings, etc.). I view AAC as a way to empower a child with communicative options. My general rule of thumb is that if speech is not “getting the job done” in allowing a child to express themselves fully and effectively, then AAC needs to be embraced as an avenue toward fostering communicative agency. AAC also supports continued language development and can sometimes even support speech production practice! I use AAC to ensure that the children I work with have meaningful access to communication in the contexts that matter to them (at home, at school, during dance class or sports practice, at a family gathering, etc.).