Tablet/App-Based AAC
Picture-Based Communication (PECS/Boards)
Start low-tech and build toward high-tech as communication skills develop. Low-tech AAC (PECS, picture boards) provides an accessible entry point for young or beginning communicators with minimal cost and no technical barriers. As the child's vocabulary grows beyond what physical boards can support, transitioning to high-tech AAC (tablet apps like Proloquo2Go) enables voice output and virtually unlimited vocabulary. Many children use both simultaneously — a PECS board at bath time and an iPad app during structured learning. Work with a speech-language pathologist to select the right AAC system for your child's current abilities and goals. Both are eligible OAP expenses.
Written by Spencer Carroll
Founder & Autism Advocate
Evidence on this page
Key claims are paired with their source, evidence tier, and verification date so readers can inspect the public record directly.
89,799
children are registered in the Ontario Autism Program
According to the FAO (2020 report), OAP funding covers less than one-third of estimated need at 2018-19 service levels
WHO recommends accessible, community-based early interventions for children with autism — timely evidence-based psychosocial interventions improve communication and social engagement
1 in 50
According to the 2019 Canadian Health Survey on Children and Youth, about children and youth aged 1 to 17 in Canada had an autism diagnosis
23%
Only 20,633 children have active funding agreements — less than one in four