BACKGROUND: Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is a knowledge area of clinical, educational and research practice that favors the quality of life of its users and their relatives. PURPOSE: to propose intervention and research guidelines in AAC based on the identification and descriptive synthesis of articles published in indexed journals, in international electronic databases on AAC. Inclusion criteria were experimental research, reports of individual and/or group treatment, case studies, including subjects with cerebral palsy or with non-defined neurological diseases and mental retardation. CONCLUSION: individualization of the practices as for the design, relevance and speed of information processing and the process of including the family and other conversational partners are essential to a successful intervention, generalization and maintenance of AAC communication board within formal and informal contexts. Individual prescription of AAC resources according to physical, mental, psychic, cognitive and linguistic characteristics have a positive impact on the quality of life of users and their relatives. Therefore, it is recommended that AAC therapeutic resources are introduced as soon as possible for subjects with restricted and/or absent orality.