Glossary
Searchable terminology from accessibility, web standards, and related fields.
32 results found in augmentative and alternative communication.
- Aided Language Stimulation (Aided Language Modeling, Aided Language Input, ALgS)
- A communication intervention technique in which a conversation partner models language on an AAC device while speaking, pointing to symbols on the learner's communication system as they talk. This inc…
- Augmented Communicator (AC, AAC User, Aided Communicator)
- A person who uses augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) technology to express themselves, typically because a disability affects their ability to produce speech. Augmented communicators use…
- Communication Board (AAC Board, Symbol Board, Choice Board)
- A low-tech or digital display of symbols, pictures, words, or phrases arranged on a surface that a person with complex communication needs can point to, touch, or select to express messages. Communica…
- Communication Rate (Communication Speed)
- The speed at which a person can convey messages, typically measured in words per minute (WPM). For AAC users, communication rate is often significantly slower than natural speech (100-200 WPM)—unaided…
- Complex Communication Needs (CCN)
- A term describing the communication challenges faced by individuals who cannot rely on speech alone to meet all their communication needs in daily life. People with complex communication needs may use…
- Core Vocabulary (Core Words)
- A small set of high-frequency words — typically pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and prepositions — that make up approximately 80% of what people say in everyday communication. Examples include words like…
- Device Abandonment (Technology Abandonment, AT Abandonment)
- The phenomenon where users stop using an assistive technology device after initial adoption. In AAC, abandonment rates are notably high and stem from multiple factors including devices that do not mat…
- Discreet AAC (Discreet Assistive Communication, Wearable AAC)
- Augmentative and alternative communication devices designed to be socially unobtrusive and visually inconspicuous, in contrast to traditional tablet-based AAC systems that are physically prominent and…
- Fringe Vocabulary (Fringe Words, Context-Specific Vocabulary)
- Topic-specific or situation-specific words in an AAC system, typically nouns and other content words that are needed in particular contexts but not used frequently across all conversations. Examples i…
- Interactive Communication Model
- A model of communication that extends the linear model by incorporating feedback from the receiver back to the sender, creating a two-way exchange. In AAC contexts, interactive high-tech devices enabl…
- Just-in-Time Support (JIT Support, Just-in-Time Programming, JIT Vocabulary)
- In augmentative and alternative communication, the programming and availability of language concepts at the moment they are needed, rather than requiring pre-planning. Just-in-time support can be ment…
- Key Word Signing (KWS, Keyword Signing, Signs Supporting English)
- An augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) method that uses manual signs from a national sign language alongside spoken words to support communication. Unlike native sign language, KWS users …
- Keystroke Saving Rate (KSR, Keystroke Savings)
- A metric measuring the efficiency of text prediction systems by calculating the percentage of keystrokes saved compared to typing the same text on a standard keyboard without prediction. A KSR of 50% …
- Linear Communication Model (Shannon-Weaver Model, Sender-Receiver Model)
- A model of communication in which information flows in one direction from a sender to a receiver through a channel, with no feedback mechanism. In the context of AAC, a linear model means the user con…
- Makaton
- A language programme that uses a combination of speech, signs (borrowed from British Sign Language), and graphic symbols to support communication for people who have difficulty with spoken language. U…
- Motion-Based AAC (Physical Expressive AAC, Expressive Sidekick)
- An emerging form of augmentative and alternative communication that uses physical movement of objects or robotic devices to convey nonverbal communicative intent during conversations. Unlike tradition…
- Overselectivity (Stimulus Overselectivity, Overselective Attention)
- A learning challenge in which an individual attends to only one or a few features of a stimulus while ignoring other relevant features, resulting in an inability to discriminate between stimuli that s…
- Personal Voice (Voice Banking, AI Voice Clone)
- A technology that creates a synthetic replica of a person's voice from recorded speech samples, enabling text-to-speech output that sounds like the individual rather than a generic electronic voice. A…
- Phoneme (Speech Sound)
- The smallest unit of sound in a language that can distinguish one word from another. For example, the /b/ and /p/ sounds in "bat" and "pat" are different phonemes. American English has approximately 3…
- Pictograph (Pictogram, Picture Symbol, Graphic Symbol)
- A simplified visual symbol or image that represents a word, concept, or action, used as an alternative or supplement to written text. Pictograph systems such as Sclera, Beta, and Widgit are widely use…