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Watching your child repeatedly press the same button on their AAC device can feel frustrating—but it’s actually a sign of healthy language development. Just like vocal babbling prepares babies for speech, AAC babbling builds the motor skills, auditory connections, and social foundations children need to become confident communicators. Here’s what that exploration really means and how you can support it.
Babbling is a typical part of language development that occurs during infancy, serving as a bridge between cooing and word production. During this stage, babies engage in vocal play—producing repetitive sounds and experimenting with their voices. Babbling supports language development in several key areas:
Motor practice/ planning:
Babbling helps infants coordinate the muscles needed for speech. Through repeated sound-making, they learn how to shape different sounds and control their breath, vocal folds, tongue, and lips.
Auditory feedback:
Infants listen to their own sounds and make adjustments, refining their ability to produce specific speech sounds.
Social interaction:
Caregivers often respond to a baby’s babbling, creating early conversational turn-taking.
Predicts language development:
Early and complex babbling is linked to stronger language skills later in childhood.
For children who use AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) devices, babbling may look a little different. You might notice your child repeatedly pressing the same button, tapping random icons, or exploring pages without clear intent. This type of exploration is a typical and important part of the AAC learning process.
Babbling supports AAC users’ language growth in similar ways:
Motor practice/ planning:
It helps AAC users learn how to access the device—whether using their hands, eyes, or a switch—and begin to remember where words are located.
Auditory feedback:
By hearing words spoken by the device over and over, users start to connect the sound of the word with its meaning and location.
Social interaction:
Caregivers can respond to AAC babbling just like vocal babbling, encouraging conversational turn-taking and reinforcing social communication skills.
Predicts language development:
AAC babbling can lead to growth in expressive language. As users repeatedly select words, they hear them paired with symbols and written text, helping build comprehension and use. Research suggests that this process may even support verbal speech development for some children.
Allow exploration time:
Give your child time to explore their device freely, without placing communication demands. Exploration builds confidence and familiarity.
Capitalize on exploration:
As your child “babbles” on their device, comment on what they select. For example, if they find the animal page and choose “cow,” you might say, “The cow says moo!” This helps your child connect meaning to the word and see how words fit into real-world contexts.
Encourage joint attention:
If your child selects a word and then looks between you and the device, follow their lead and expand. For example, if they say “cow,” you might respond, “Yes! The cow lives on a farm.”
Validate their communication:
Acknowledge and praise your child’s AAC use. You might say, “I heard you say ‘cow!’” or “Good job telling me about the cow.” Validation helps the child feel seen and reinforces device use.
Redirect when necessary:
If your child continues to press the same button after ample exploration time, you can gently redirect. Try saying, “I hear you saying ‘cow.’ I want to talk about animals—let’s find another one!” This provides a natural opportunity to model aided language and demonstrate navigation on the device.
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