Guide to AAC Terminology
Glossary of AAC Terminology
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) - is an area of clinical practice that addresses the needs of individuals with significant and complex communication disorders characterized by impairments in speech-language production and/or comprehension, including spoken and written modes of communication.
AAC uses a variety of techniques and tools, including picture communication boards, line drawings, speech-generating devices (SGDs), tangible objects, manual signs, gestures, and finger spelling, to help the individual express thoughts, wants and needs, feelings, and ideas.
AAC is augmentative when used to supplement existing speech, and alternative when used in place of speech that is absent or not functional.
AAC may be temporary, as when used by patients postoperatively in intensive care, or permanent, as when used by an individual who will require the use of some form of AAC throughout his or her lifetime.
(See the American Speech-Language Hearing website at https://www.asha.org/PRPSpecificTopic.aspx?folderid=8589942773§ion=Overview for more information)
AAC system - An integrated group of components, including the symbols, aids, strategies, and techniques used by individuals to enhance communication.
AAC strategy - A learned, or self-realized method of employing AAC aids, symbols, and/or techniques to effectively enhance and/or facilitate communication and/or communication potential.
Access method (or selection technique): The way in which the user interacts with a device to control or select items for communication, e.g. pointing, single-switch scanning, etc. There are two broad categories of access methods: 1) Direct selection and 2) Indirect Selection
Activation feedback: Some devices have settings that determine what the user hears or sees while composing a message and serves as a way for the user to check for errors during composition.
Aided communication: Communication that requires something external to the body to represent meaning, for example pointing to a symbol in a communication notebook.
Aid - A physical object or device used to transmit or receive messages (communication book, chart, VOCA [Voice Output Communication Aid], etc.)
Aided language modeling/aided language stimulation/aided language input: A technique of pointing to pictures in conjunction with spoken language for the purpose of modeling good language for the AAC user to see and hear. (While these terms are often used interchangeably, know that there are technical differences between modeling, stimulation, and input. These distinctions are necessary for research purposes, but practitioners often consider them synonymous.)
Alternative access - Refers to how the person using the AAC system interacts with it regarding message composition and motor skills using alternative devices such as switches, head tracking, and eye gaze.
American Sign Language: A manually coded language used primarily by deaf individuals in the USA.
Apraxia of speech: (may also be called verbal dyspraxia, childhood apraxia of speech and developmental apraxia): A neurological speech disorder causing difficulty coordinating the complex oral movements needed to sequence and formulate speech sounds correctly and consistently; apraxia is not caused by muscle weakness.
Communication notebook/board: Low-tech AAC tools that an individual might use to express himself by pointing to line drawings, words, pictures, numbers, and/or the alphabet. The communication board contains the set of symbols on a flat surface; a communication book or notebook has several pages of symbols.
Context-dependent communication: Communication that is limited to some topics in some contexts or with some partners.
Core vocabulary: A term used to describe a relatively small set of words that are used most frequently in oral and written languages. The words in core vocabulary can be used to communicate for a broad range of purposes from basic requesting of desired items to building social relationships, sharing opinions and exchanging information on topics of interest. See http://www.project-core.com/core-vocabulary/ for more information, examples, and the research behind this concept.
Deaf World: A culture that shares a common language (American Sign Language), beliefs, customs, arts, history, and folklore. It is primarily comprised of individuals who have prelingual deafness.
Dedicated communication devices: Funding agencies use the term to mean devices that have been exclusively created and configured for communication exchanges with special software. While devices will all allow for adding internet access or other programs, they cannot already contain these resources when paid for by insurance.
Dependent communicators: Individuals who are unable to communicate about all topics with any listener. They rely on familiar partners to understand their utterances/messages or depend on others to provide them with the necessary vocabulary.
Digitized speech: Natural speech is recorded with a microphone, stored and used as the voice source of the VOCA (voice output communication aids), as opposed to synthesized voices created by the computer software.
Direct selection: A method of communication in which the individual specifically indicates the desired item in the selection set (of pictures, objects or words) by pointing, touching or exchanging.
Directed scanning: An access technique that combines elements of direct selection and single-switch scanning. The individual uses a multi-switch array, for example, a joystick or arrow keys, to move the cursor in the desired direction and make a selection.
Dynamic Displays: A touchscreen interface that changes the vocabulary options that the user can see, moving back and forth between the displays with buttons as choices are made.
Emerging communicator: An individual who does not yet have any reliable means of symbolic communication, although he/she typically has non-symbolic communication. This communication, for example using gestures and facial expressions, can be very useful with highly familiar partners, but it tends to be limited to the "here and now" or rely heavily on the partner's shared knowledge.
Expressive communication: refers to how an individual uses symbolic language, whether through speech, sign, writing, or any other modality.
Facilitated Communication: A technique in which an individual spells messages via an alphabet board while a facilitator held the individual's arm. While the technique lacks credibility due to the potential for partner influence, that does not mean that the individual is not capable of more communication through other alternative techniques.
ASHA and ISAAC both have strong position statements against this practice:
https://www.asha.org/policy/PS201800352/#targetText=Position%20Statement%3A%20Facilitated%20Communication,that%20should%20not%20be%20used.
Feature: A prominent characteristic of a communication device or a communication strategy. For example, voice output is a feature of many AAC devices.
Finger spelling/Manual alphabet: A method of communication via spelling that uses hand configurations to represent letters of the alphabet.
Fixed display - A display in which the symbols or items on the board or overlay are "fixed" in a location and do not move when selected.
Fringe vocabulary: Vocabulary that is specific or unique to an activity or topic. Fringe words are used in combination with core vocabulary to communicate about specific people, events, activities, topics, etc.
Gesture: An unaided method of communication that includes facial expressions, eye gazing, hand movements and body postures. The meaning is clear from the movement itself.
Headstick or Head pointer: A stick held closely to the head (typically mounted on a cap) and used by individuals without efficient hand control to perform some tasks, such as reaching and pointing. Some AAC users use headsticks to select items on a communication display or device.
Independent communication: The ability to communicate with both familiar and unfamiliar partners about any topic in any context. "Independent communication" does not mean that the individual does not rely on technology or assistance from people in the environment.
Indirect selection: A method of communication that involves intermediary steps by the device or the partner, usually to compensate for motor limitations of the user. Examples include single-and dual-switch scanning, directed scanning, eye gaze access, and coded access.
Intelligibility - The ability of unfamiliar listeners to understand messages.
ISSAC - International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication- International organization devoted to the advancement of the field of AAC.
Less costly alternative: A phrase used by insurance companies and 3rd party payers to refer to equipment or services that are less expensive but may still meet the patient's needs.
Letter of medical necessity: The letter by a physician and a clinician to a 3rd party payer (e.g. insurance company) to request funding for an AAC device.
Line drawing: Simple black and white pictures used as symbols for communication. Some popular symbol sets now use line drawings (such as Widgit and SymbolStix).
Linguistic prediction: A method of predicting the next words, based on the grammatical rules of the words that have preceded it.
Locked-In Syndrome: An individual who is truly "locked-in" has no voluntary movement except vertical eye movements and, in some cases, blinking, but the individual is conscious. This is typically caused by a basilar artery stroke, tumor or trauma damaging the pons or midbrain.
Low-tech (or No tech): A popular name for devices, such as books, boards and pictures, that use little or no electronic technology to promote communication.
Medical necessity: A phrase used by insurance companies and 3rd party payers to describe the equipment and services a patient requires for health and safety needs. Insurance companies and 3rd party payers usually only provide equipment and services that meet medical needs, as opposed to educational or social needs. However, medical needs often overlap with educational and social needs.
Morse code: An international system that uses a series of dots and dashes to represent letters, punctuation and numbers. When an AAC user uses this system, the dots and dashes are more likely to be high or low pitch tones.
Mouthstick: A wand that is held in the mouth and used by individuals without hand control to perform some tasks otherwise done by hand, such as reaching & pointing. Some AAC users use mouthsticks to select items on a communication display or device.
Non-symbolic communication: Gestures, pointing, vocalizations, intonation, body language and facial expression are examples of non-symbolic communication. It is limited to the "here and now," responding to what one sees, hears or feels in the immediate environment.
Novel utterances: Unique messages that an individual might produce to say exactly what is intended at a given moment. They are the opposite of "preprogrammed" messages that must be composed and programmed ahead of time. As it is not possible for a programmer to anticipate every possible thing an AAC user may want to say, this capability is extremely important to provide in an AAC system.
Occupational Therapist (OT): A professional who provides services related to activities of daily living, work, and play to individuals who need support to enhance their independence and their quality of life.
Output: The method by which information is conveyed to the partner; e.g. visual output or auditory output.
Partner influence: When one or more communication partners can affect the selection of messages by a user either consciously or unconsciously. Examples include using extensive physical or verbal cueing or through intonation patterns.
PECS: see Picture Exchange Communication System
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS): A method of communication developed by Pyramid Educational Corporation, in which the communicator picks up one or more symbols and hands them to a partner to express a message.
Prediction: A rate enhancement technique in which the device or the communication partner guesses the end of a word or phrase, based on previous selections. There are many types of prediction used in devices, some more sophisticated than others.
Prestored phrases: Messages that are composed and stored ahead of time so they can be delivered in a timely manner. Some are urgent messages (e.g. I need help!) and others are social messages (e.g. "You are exactly right!"). They are the opposite of novel utterances created by the user at the time of communication. These phrases are an important component of AAC but these should not typically be the majority of options provided in an AAC system.
Prompting hierarchy: the amount of assistance/intrusion that each prompt requires for the child to present a correct response.
Independent
Gesture
Indirect (verbal or nonverbal)
Direct Verbal
Modeling
Partial Physical Assistance (e.g. an elbow tap or hand-under-hand)
NOTE: we should never be giving a full assist- if someone is regularly requiring a full assist to consistently access AAC, then you need to either re-consider what’s motivating to that individual to communicate about and/or be looking at alternate access methods.
See https://praacticalaac.org/praactical/building-aac-facilitation-skills-with-tabi-jones-wohleber-master-pal-training-module-9-appropriate-prompting/for additional information and research on the very important topic of prompting.
Rate enhancement: A technique or strategy used to speed up AAC output because it is so much slower than speech. Most rate enhancements can be grouped into two types: encoding and prediction.
Receptive communication: refers to how well an individual understands communication, whether it is speech, sign or writing.
Scanning: An "indirect selection" technique in which items are presented sequentially one at a time and the individual activates a switch or otherwise signals to accept one of the items when presented. Scanning, like other indirect selection techniques, is only intended for individuals who lack motor control for direct selection techniques. This can be done with one-by-one with items in a linear array (e.g. A, B, C, D....) or via a group-item strategy (e.g. A - G, H - L, etc.) gradually narrowing down the selection. It can also be done with words and phrases rather than letters of the alphabet.
· Linear scanning - The scanning indicator moves element by element in a linear direction across each row on the scanning display.
· Circular scanning - This is the simplest of the scanning patterns in which the individual’s items are displayed in a circle and are electronically scanned, one at a time until the AAC user stops the scanner and selects an item.
· Partner assisted scanning: A method of communication involving no technology in which the partner identifies (by naming or pointing) the items in the selection set and waits for the user to signal (via a sound or a movement) the item he/she wishes to communicate. Once the individual signals the correct row, then they point to each item in the row until the individual signals a selection.
· Preset scanning - Process in which the scanning indicator moves in a predetermined, predictable pattern controlled by the electronic scanning device. Patterns of scanning may be either linear, circular, row-column or block.
· Step scanning - This scanning techniques allows the user to advance one step at a time for each activation of the switch. There is a one-to-one correspondence between cursor movement and switch activation.
Scan mode - The way the switch interfaces operates in conjunction with the scanning device to achieve the scanning process.
Selection technique (or access method): The way in which the user interacts with a device to control it for communication, e.g. pointing, single-switch scanning, etc.
SLP: Abbreviation for Speech-Language Pathologist.
Speech Generating Devices (SGD): also known as voice output communication aids (VOCA): aided communication that uses digitized or synthesized speech to supplement or replace the user’s voice.
Symbols - Something that stands or represents something else. The symbol could use visual, auditory, and/or tactile representation of conventional concepts (gestures, photos, manual signs, picto-ideographs, printed words, objects, spoken words, Braille).
Synthesized speech output - Pre-recorded verbal information that is produced by an electronic device when symbols are selected by the user to activate and create messages. This type of speech is less natural sounding than recorded human voices (digitized speech) and may be hard to understand.
Tactile finger spelling: The use of touch while finger spelling; it is often used with individuals who have visual impairments in addition to hearing impairments.
Tangible or tactile symbols: Symbols that can be discriminated based on the use of touch such as shape, texture, consistency.
Text-to-speech output: Speech produced when a computer translates the letters of the text into spoken word.
Unaided techniques: Methods of communication that require nothing external to the body to represent meaning, e.g. signing, gestures, vocalizations.
USSAAC - United States Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication- A national organization devoted to the advancement of the field of AAC.
Visual output: Output for the communication partner that is seen rather than heard; e.g. visual display or printout. Communication devices incorporate a ‘message line’ for visual construction of the selected content.
Vocalizations: Sounds made with the voice that are not speech sounds. These can be involuntary (yawning, laughing, sneezing) or voluntary (cry, moan, yell).
Voice Output Communication Aid (VOCA): The term used to describe communication devices with speech output; generally low-tech devices such as single message buttons, GoTalk devices, etc. Also referred to as SGD (Speech Generating Device).
Voice (or Speech) output: Communication devices convey information to the partner with audible sound to ‘speak’ the words selected from the text or icon arrangement. There are two types of voice/speech output: digitized and text-to-speech (or synthesized).
Volitional movements: Actions of the body that are intentional and under control. This is opposite of movements such as spasms, twitches, etc.
This information has been adapted from terminology lists created by the University of Washington-Seattle and University of Nebraska-Lincoln. Both lists can be found here:
https://cehs.unl.edu/aac/aac-terminology/
http://depts.washington.edu/augcomm/00_general/glossary.htm