This work focuses on the study of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) in aphasia from a discursive perspective, assuming an original and fundamental character. It is of interest to investigate meaning attribution processes of non-fluent aphasic patients who use AAC through a qualitative longitudinal case report of five subjects with varied ages, linguistic deficits, and aphasia types, attended in a Speech-Language Pathology therapeutic group. Data were video-recorded from 2006 to 2008, and relevant episodes to the aims of the present investigation were analyzed. The results evidenced that AAC enables various meaning attribution processes. The subjects performed language translations, in jakobsonian terms: from symbol to word, from gesture to word, from drawing to word and the circulationbetween verbal and non-verbal systems. AAC was effective in the linguistic activities of the studied subjects, affecting the quality of their social interaction.
Aphasia; Nonverbal communication; Language; Language therapy
