Glossary

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Scanning(also: Switch Scanning, Sequential Scanning)

An input method used in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) that allows users with severe motor impairments to make selections using one or more switches. The system sequentially highlights items in a vocabulary set, and the user activates a switch when the desired…

Semantic Compaction(also: Minspeak)

A method of encoding language for augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) that maps concepts onto sequences of multi-meaning icons. Each icon is deliberately ambiguous, and meaning is resolved when icons are combined into sequences called iconic sentences. For example,…

Sentence Prediction(also: Phrase Prediction, Utterance Prediction)

An AAC text entry acceleration technique that suggests complete sentences or phrases based on what the user has begun typing. Unlike word prediction which completes individual words, sentence prediction allows users to select entire utterances with a single action, dramatically…

Severe Speech and Motor Impairment(also: SSMI)

A condition where an individual has significant limitations in both spoken communication and physical movement, often co-occurring in conditions such as cerebral palsy, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), or traumatic brain injury. People with SSMI typically rely on…

Speech Composer(also: Speech Generation, Message Composition Engine)

A software component in AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) systems that takes user input — whether typed text, selected symbols, or telegraphic phrases — and processes it for spoken output through a text-to-speech synthesiser. Advanced speech composers may include…

Symbol Communication(also: Symbol-Supported Communication)

The use of graphic symbols — pictograms, ideograms, line drawings, or photographs — alongside or in place of text to convey meaning. Symbol communication supports people who cannot rely on spoken or written language, including many AAC users, children and adults with…

Symbol Selection Set(also: Symbol Board, Communication Board)

A structured collection of graphic symbols, words, or phrases arranged in a grid or other layout for use in augmentative and alternative communication (AAC). Users select symbols to compose messages, with each symbol representing a word, phrase, concept, or action. Selection…

Synthetic Voice(also: Artificial Voice, Computer-Generated Voice, TTS Voice)

A digitally generated voice produced by text-to-speech technology, used by individuals with speech impairments as an alternative means of verbal communication. People who rely on synthetic voices for presentations, phone calls, or daily conversation must often invest…

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