AAC & Technology Flashcards

Flashcards about Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC)

Communication Model

The process of conveying information, ideas, thoughts, feelings, or emotions between a sender and a receiver within a specific environment.

Why Communicate

To express wants and needs, share information, find out information, and have personal relationships.

AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication)

An area of clinical practice that attempts to compensate for temporary or permanent communication impairment, sometimes involving technology.

Candidate for an AAC System

Any person who cannot effectively and efficiently communicate in all environments and with all communication partners.

AAC

Strategies, tools, and technologies used to gain access to their human and civil right to communicate.

Four components of an AAC system

Symbols, aids, strategies, and techniques.

Symbols

Something visual, auditory, and/or tactile that represents something else.

Aided Symbols

Requires devices or equipment to communicate in addition to the communicator’s body. Examples: eye gaze boards, writing boards, head pointers

Unaided Symbols

Symbols that do NOT require any aids or devices for production. Examples: face, hands and body.

Iconicity

Relationship between a symbol and its meaning (ease of recognition).

Transparent Iconicity

Visually resembles referent and high in guess ability (picture of a shoe)

Translucent Iconicity

Additional information is needed (“sun” means “like” on most PR SGDs)

Opaque Iconicity

Not understandable even when both the symbol and its meaning are provided to the learner (sign for “underwear” in sign language)

Aids (in AAC)

A physical object or device used to transmit or receive messages, like a communication book, symbol chart, tangible objects, electronic device, computer, iPad, or phone.

Strategies (in AAC)

Specific ways to use symbols, aids, and techniques to enhance communication in specific situations

Techniques (in AAC)

Method of transmitting a message; how messages are chosen and accessed.

Direct Selection

Physical pressure; choose symbols like a finger or an instrument attached to their body, to press a key or by applying enough pressure for activation to happen; physical contact; touching their finger to a button; pointing without contact; speech/voice recognition.

Indirect Selection

Scanning, directed scanning, coded access (Morse code), pointing without contact.

Message Representation

Keyboard, Printed text, Icons, Isolated photographic images, Visual scenes.

Low Tech AAC

Simple devices, communication books and boards

Mid Tech AAC

Digitized (recorded) speech output, no navigation ability

High Tech AAC (VOCA, SGD)

Computerized devices, synthesized (computer) speech output, navigation ability (button press opens new pages)

Assistive Technology for Reading and Writing

text-to-speech (TTS) software, screen readers, optical character recognition (OCR) •Audio books, Adjusting font sizes, Color contrasts, speech-to-text dictation, grammar checkers, Word and predictive text, graphic organizers, adaptive keyboards, pen grips

AI-Artificial Intelligence(in AAC)

Voice banking and Brain computer interfaces