AAC Glossary
Speech Generating Device
SGD, VOCA
A device that provides voice output/speech output.
Tangible or tactile symbols
n/a
Symbols that can be discriminated based on the use of touch such as shape, texture, consistency (Beukelman & Mirenda, 1998)
Two-dimensional representations
Symbols
Flat symbols (e.g. photographs, line drawings, etc.)
Speech Supplementation Strategies
n/a
These are approaches for making the speech more understandable (or "comprehensible") to the partner even if the actual intelligibility of the speech itself does not change. These techniques include first letter cueing with fingerspelling or an alphabet board, setting the context with a context board, etc. For further information, see Dowden (1997).
Text-to-speech output
Synthesized speech
Speech produced when a computer translates the letter of the text into sounds, using a complex set of pronunciation rules (Beukelman & Mirenda, 1998)
Unaided techniques
Unaided communication , Unaided AAC
Methods of communication that require nothing external to the body to represent meaning e.g. signing, gestures, vocalizations, etc. (Beukelman & Mirenda, 1998)
Symbolic Communication
n/a
Communication that uses something (e.g. a word, sign, picture, etc.) to represent a concept or meaning. For example, sounds symbolize meaning in our speech while letters and words represent meaning in our writing, and in AAC we use symbols you can hear, see or feel. Symbolic language permits us to talk beyond the "here and now" about things in another time or place. In contrast, non-symbolic communication is limited to the "here and now," for example, using pointing and gestures to respond to what one sees, hears or feels in the immediate environment.
Three-dimensional representations �
Tangible symbols
Symbols that can be discriminated based on shape, texture, consistency (Beukelman & Mirenda, 1998)
Tactile finger spelling
n/a
The use of touch while finger spelling; it is often used with individuals who have visual impairments in addition to hearing impairments
Tonic Neck Reflex
TNR
"The arm toward which the infant is facing extends straight away from the body with the hand partially open, while the arm on the side away from the face is flexed and the fist is clenched tightly. Reversing the direction in which the face is turned reverses the position."[Source and more information at: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/003292.htm]