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Introduction to Vocabulary Selection
Principle #1: Whose vocabulary is this, anyway? This vocabulary is for the AAC user, not anyone else. However, there are many reasons why others may have to select vocabulary. Whether it is a therapist who knows a lot about language or a familiar partner who knows a lot about the AAC user, those selecting vocabulary must have the user in mind at all times. The vocabulary must reflect what he or she wants to say, not what others want said. Principle #2: Vocabularies are always changing. Everyone uses vocabularies that change and evolve over time. Speaking children increase their vocabulary every day, adding new words for new concepts as they mature. Speaking adults also change their vocabulary, replacing old-fashioned words with newer slang ("rad!"), adding words for new concepts ("cyberspace") and adding new words to reflect new interests ("sonata"). AAC users are no different; their vocabulary must grow and evolve over time. If you also realize that it is extraordinarily difficult to provide a complete vocabulary in the first place, you can see that our work is NEVER done. Vocabularies are NEVER finished.
So selecting vocabulary is not easy and it is never done. But where do we start? Well, that depends on the current expressive communication abilities of the individual. The tools we use to select vocabulary for an individual who is just starting with AAC will be quite different from the tools we use for the expert AAC user. In our work, we find there are three groups of AAC users and the techniques are specific to each group. 1. For Emerging Alternative Communicators: Emerging communicators are individuals who do not yet have any reliable means of symbolic communication. They typically have non-symbolic communication via gestures, facial expression, pointing, but they do not have a way to talk about concepts beyond the "here and now". They may be learning to use AAC, but are not yet entirely reliable with it. Examples of Emerging Alternative Communicators: Note: The term "Emerging" only refers to the individual's expressive communication. It is not a reflection of the receptive language or cognition and certainly not a predictor of their potential abilities with AAC. The goal of intervention for these individuals is to identify the first reliable method of symbolic communication. To do that most easily, we need to select vocabulary that is powerful and motivating to the individual. For techniques to select vocabulary for these individuals, click here: Emerging Communicators.
2. For Context-Dependent Communicators These are the individuals who do have a reliable means of symbolic communication, but they cannot communicate with everyone about everything. They are limited either:
Examples of Context-Dependent Alternative Communicators: Note: As above, this grouping only refers to the individual's expressive communication. It is not a reflection of the receptive language or cognition and certainly not a predictor of potential abilities with AAC. The goal of intervention for these individuals is to expand communication across contexts and across partners. Often this is done by expanding the available vocabulary. .For techniques to select vocabulary for context-dependent communicators, click here: Context-Dependent Communicators.
3. For Independent Communicators These are the individuals who can talk with (practically) anyone about (practically) anything. This means that these individuals have:
If these individuals can communicate about all topics, why do we need to select any vocabulary for these individuals? Well, you will see that for some individuals, assistance with vocabulary selection can improve the efficiency of their communication. The goal of intervention for these individuals is to increase the speed and reduce any fatigue from communication. For techniques to select vocabulary for independent communicators, click here: Independent Communicators.
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I. Vocabulary 
