Getting beyond requesting and labeling, the clinician’s challenge is to create true communication for individual users of AAC. In this symposium, we will address the most-up-to-date, evidence-based means of achieving communication so that we can create conversant, functional, and employable communicators. The outpatient speech team of United Ability treats complex communicators while partnering with families and other professionals to increase quality of life through communication. We will address common misconceptions regarding AAC use and evaluation, as well as looking at current trends in AAC theories and applications for daily use with complex communicators.