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I. Vocabulary
& Symbols

II. Features

III. Funding

AAC Glossary

AAC Vendors

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AAC Home

I. Vocabulary
& Symbols

II. Features

III. Funding

AAC Glossary

AAC Vendors

AAC References

AAC Links

AAC Home

I. Vocabulary
& Symbols

II. Features

III. Funding

AAC Glossary

AAC Vendors

AAC References

AAC Links

AAC Home

I. Vocabulary
& Symbols

II. Features

III. Funding

AAC Glossary

AAC Vendors

AAC References

AAC Links

Vocabulary Features in AAC

Introduction
Vocabulary refers to the words, phrases or messages that are available to the user for communication. Some individuals can, of course, supplement this vocabulary by spelling out any novel words. However, many users are unable to spell well enough, so they are completely dependent on the vocabulary that someone else has made available. It is these users who are most affected by the size and type of vocabulary.There are four primary vocabulary features that we will consider here::

1) Vocabulary Size
2) Accessibility of Vocabulary
3) Type of Possible Utterances
4) Pre-Selected Vocabulary Sets

1. Vocabulary Size:

a. Tiny vocabulary: There are many devices and strategies on the market that have the capacity for only a small amount of vocabulary. These cannot possibly function as complete communication strategies for any individual. We must see them as a tool for the introduction of AAC or a tool to supplement other AAC methods. For example:

     Voice Pal Plus from Adaptivation, Inc.:

                 
          (Click picture to enlarge.)

b. mid-range vocabulary: There some devices/strategies that provide more vocabulary but it is still very limited and tends to function only for a particular context, not as a complete communication strategy, for example:

     AlphaTalker from Prentke Romich Co.:

                  
          (Click picture to enlarge.)

c. large vocabulary: There are some devices/strategies that have a comparatively large vocabulary. (Of course, even these "large" vocabularies are no where near the size of typical adult vocabularies.)

     DynaMyte from DynaVox Systems, Inc.:

                    
          (Click picture to enlarge.)

     Vanguard from Prentke Romich Co.:

                  
          (Click picture to enlarge.)

     Optimist II from Zygo Inc.:

                  
          (Click picture to enlarge.)

2. Accessibility of Vocabulary:
It is only in the smallest of devices that the vocabulary is all available at once. Other devices require the user to retrieve additional vocabulary in different ways. We will discuss: a) single level of limited vocabulary, b) multiple levels with overlays, c) multiple levels with dynamic displays, d) large vocabulary with encoding, and e) combination of approaches.

a. Single level of limited vocabulary: This is the case for communication boards and for the smallest devices where all the vocabulary is seen at once, for example:

     Attainment 15 from Attainment Company, Inc.:

                  
          (Click picture to enlarge.)

b. Multiple levels of vocabulary, with overlays: There are some devices that provide more vocabulary, but the individual must change overlays to reach other vocabulary, for example:

     DigiVox from DynaVox Systems, Inc.:

                  
          (Click picture to enlarge.)

This is functionally similar to communication books where the user must be able to turn pages to get to a different vocabulary set:

     Communication Book - Vocabulary Grouped by Topic:

                
          (Click picture to enlarge.)

c. Multiple levels, with dynamic displays: Devices with dynamic displays are popular these days, providing an easy way for the user to "change pages" to another vocabulary set, for example:

     DynaVox 3100 from DynaVox Systems, Inc.:

                  
          (Click picture to enlarge.)

d. Large vocabulary, with encoding: There are some devices that avoid some of the problems associated with levels or dynamic displays through the use of encoding. This means the user does not have to compose a message word-by-word but can retrieve the entire message by selecting the code (e.g. letter code, number code, alphanumeric code or symbol code.) Here is a device that uses the Minspeak system of symbol codes from Prentke Romich, Inc.:

     DeltaTalker from Prentke Romich Co.:

                  
          (Click picture to enlarge.)

e. Combination of encoding & dynamic displays: At this time there are very few devices that combine these two features, for example:

     Vanguard from Prentke Romich Co.:

                  
          (Click picture to enlarge.)

3. Types of Possible Utterances: There are four approaches to utterances: a) pre-programmed utterances only, b) novel utterances via word combinations, c) novel utterances via spelling, and d) a combination of utterance types.

a. Pre-programmed Utterances Only: There are devices, books and boards that can only produce messages that someone else has programmed or written on the display. The high tech devices which only have pre-programmed utterances, usually have digitized speech, for example:

     Attainment 15 from The Attainment Company:

                  
          (Click picture to enlarge.)

b. Novel utterances via word combinations: Some word-based books and some communication devices have enough single-word vocabulary to permit the individual to create novel utterances by combining words, for example:

     AlphaTalker from Prentke Romich Co.:

                  
          (Click picture to enlarge.)

     Communication Book with Vocabulary by Topics:

                  
          (Click picture to enlarge.)

c. Novel utterances via spelling: Communication displays with the alphabet and some devices with text-to-speech capability permit spelling for the production of novel utterances, for example:

     Alphabet Board from Interactive Therapeutics, Inc.:

                  
          (Click picture to enlarge.)

     LightWriter from Zygo Inc.:

                  
          (Click picture to enlarge.)

d. Combination of pre-programmed & novel: Many communication books and some devices permit a combination of both pre-programmed and novel utterances, such as:

     Vanguard from Prentke Romich Co.:

                  
          (Click picture to enlarge.)

     DynaVox 3100 from DynaVox Systems, Inc.:

                  
          (Click picture to enlarge.)

4. Pre-Selected Vocabulary Sets: There a some manufacturers that offer pre-selected vocabulary sets for certain devices. Some of these sets are very helpful for some users, although they need to be reviewed carefully for the particular individual. In any case, this generic vocabulary must be supplemented by customized and personalized vocabulary for any individual. For example:

a. Small, topic-specific vocabularies: There are more and more devices and some communication books that can be purchased with pre-selected vocabularies for specific topics, for example:

     Macaw Words for the Macaw from Zygo Inc.:

                  
          (Click picture to enlarge.)

b. Large, generative vocabularies: There are a few devices that can be purchased with large, pre-programmed vocabularies that permit a non-spelling user to compose novel messages, for example:

     UNITY for the DeltaTalker from Prentke Romich Co.:

                  
          (Click picture to enlarge.)

     Gateway for DynaVox from DynaVox Systems, Inc.:

                  
          (Click picture to enlarge.)

Back to Understanding AAC Features

University of Washington, Dept. of Speech & Hearing Sciences, Tele-Collaboration Project. © 1999-2002, UW-SPHSC, including all photographs and images unless otherwise noted. Comments: tcollab@u.washington.edu. URL: http://depts.washington.edu/augcomm