AAC Messaging, Vocabulary SLA G304 Kim Ho, PhD CCC-SLP

Overview Quiz Guest speaker Paul Remy Questions and answers Discussion of “Research Article” reading Lecture

Vocabulary Needs AAC simulation Vocabulary provided Vocabulary needed

Factors That Influence Vocabulary Needs Age Gender Social role Environment Type of disability Life experiences Individual differences

Conversation Contour Greeting Small talk Information-sharing Wrap-up remarks Farewell

Greetings Generic Signals: Awareness Friendliness Bid to start conversation Requires Social awareness Social status, age, gender, cultural group Formality affected

Small Talk Initiate and maintain conversation Cocktail party May transition to information sharing Important if partners don’t know each other or have shared information Many AAC users can’t do Types – generic/specific

Information Sharing Storytelling Procedural Descriptions Content-Specific Conversations

Storytelling Purpose Important for adults Especially important for older adults High and low tech options

Procedural Descriptions Detailed information Information must be related sequentially Timely and efficient Examples

Content-Specific Conversations Informational give-and-take Not scripted Vocabulary varies widely Unique and novel utterances Letter-by-letter or word-by-word Minspeak:

Wrap-up Remarks and Farewell Statements Signals desire or intent to end an interaction Wrap-up examples Farewell examples See Barkley AAC Center’s WWW site

Diverse Vocabulary Needs Spoken versus Written Communication TTR lower for spoken than written words Written vocabulary is more diverse ( McGinnis, 1991) School Talk and Home Talk Purposes of communication home v. school Vocabulary varies dramatically Age, gender, cultural variables

Vocabulary for Preliterate AAC Users Coverage vocabulary Context-specific communication boards Themes or levels of a SGD Developmental vocabulary Not yet “functional” For vocabulary and language growth Various structures and combinations Semantic categories

Vocabulary for Nonliterate AAC Users Functional, not developmental perspective Often use whole phrases Make age and gender appropriate Include some developmental vocabulary

Vocabulary for Literate AAC Users Word-by-word or letter-by-letter Complete messages Timing enhancement Message acceleration Fatigue reduction

Timing Enhancement Messages that must be fast Examples

Message Acceleration Speed overall communication rate Acceleration vocabulary (Vanderheiden and Kelso, 1987)

Fatigue Reduction May be acceleration vocabulary Time of day Analyze vocabulary patterns during periods of fatigue

Core vocabulary Empirical research or clinical reports 1. Successful AAC users 2. Specific individual 3. Natural speakers/writers in similar contexts

Fringe Vocabulary Specific or unique to the individual Examples Personalize the vocabulary Must be recommended by user or informants

Informants Multiple informants Examples AAC user High interest to the individual Potential for frequent use Range of semantic notions & pragmatic functions Reflect the “here and now” Potential for later multiword use Ease of production or interpretation