Getting AAC support for a child in Northamptonshire

Step by step

1. Start with the communication need, not a particular device

   AAC includes low-tech choices such as pictures, symbols, letter boards and communication books as well as high-tech speech devices. Discuss what the child can already understand and express with their speech and language therapist, SENCO or other education professional. Ask them to record what has been tried, what works in different settings and what remains difficult.

2. Check the live county AAC status before preparing a referral

   Communication for All at Fairfields School is the current specialist countywide AAC service. On 10 July 2026 its official page said new referrals and assessments were temporarily paused because of staff absence and recruitment, with no reopening date. Check the live page because this operational position can change.

3. Use a professional-supported referral when the route reopens

   The service says a professional must make or support the referral and that it cannot accept a parent or carer referral alone. The live page carries February 2026 eligibility guidance and a referral and consent form. The guidance asks for practical evidence of intentional communication, experience of existing AAC approaches, why a more complex system may be needed and video evidence; it also says its examples are not exhaustive and each case is considered individually.

4. Use the loan library for supported trials

   Communication for All's separate loan library lets professionals borrow specialist AAC resources for three months free of charge. A family should ask the professional supporting the child to make the equipment request. The page does not advertise direct family borrowing, and a short loan should not be treated as a promise of a permanent device or funding decision.

5. Keep an interim communication plan while referrals are paused

   Ask the child's speech and language therapist, SENCO or setting to keep useful low-tech and existing communication strategies consistent across home and education, record progress and prepare evidence for the future referral. Communication for All's training offer is currently described for families and professionals working with children already on its caseload, so contact the team before assuming a training place is available.