New Jersey guidance sets out a responsibility for schools when assistive technology is needed: if a student’s IEP team determines it is necessary, the district or charter school must provide the devices or services at no cost to parents, and must supply items specified in the IEP as soon as possible, according to the New Jersey Department of Education. That policy provides context for communication supports in schools, but the report about Anthony Knauer does not say whether his device is specified in an IEP or how it was funded.
Knauer, a fourth grader at Pleasant Valley School in Mullica Hill, used an augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) device to address his school during morning announcements this week. In its report, 6abc Philadelphia said teachers arranged the announcement for AAC Awareness Month. Speech-language pathologist Camille Washko had preprogrammed screens for his message; special education teacher Kristin Heritage said Knauer tapped through them himself. His message included: “I still have so much to say.”
AAC is not one particular device. The American Speech-Language-Hearing Association describes it as a clinical practice that supplements or compensates for difficulties with speech-language production or comprehension. It can include picture boards and speech-generating devices, among other supports. Knauer’s announcement is a specific example of a student using such a support to communicate with classmates; it does not establish anything about his individual educational plan or broader outcomes.
The potential reach of AAC extends beyond one school. ASHA’s practice portal cites a 2020 estimate by researchers Beukelman and Light that about 5 million people in the United States and 97 million worldwide may benefit from AAC. Those figures are estimates of potential benefit, not counts of current users. In Knauer’s case, the reported details are more immediate: he navigated his prepared message independently and delivered it to the school using his device.
