Glossary

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Tactile Working Memory(also: Haptic Working Memory, Touch Working Memory)

The cognitive system responsible for temporarily storing and manipulating tactile information received through the sense of touch. Similar to visual and auditory working memory, tactile working memory has limited capacity (typically 2-5 items depending on conditions) and is…

Talking Mats

A visual communication framework that uses a textured mat and sets of picture symbols to help people express their views on topics that matter to them. Developed at the University of Stirling, Talking Mats provides a structured way for people who find it difficult to communicate…

Task Decomposition(also: Task Breakdown, Chunking Tasks)

The process of breaking a large, complex, or overwhelming task into smaller, manageable steps that can be completed sequentially. Task decomposition is a critical cognitive accessibility strategy for people with executive dysfunction, as large undifferentiated tasks create…

Task Initiation(also: Task Starting, Getting Started)

The executive function skill of beginning a task or activity, particularly when the task is complex, unstructured, or perceived as uninteresting. Task initiation is a common area of difficulty for people with ADHD and other executive function challenges. The difficulty is not…

Task Prompting(also: Task Prompting System, Cognitive Prompting)

Task prompting is an assistive technology approach that provides step-by-step instructions or cues to guide individuals with cognitive impairments through multi-step tasks. Prompts can be delivered through text, images, audio, or video on screens or mobile devices, and may be…

Task Switching(also: Context Switching, Task-Switching Cost)

The cognitive process of shifting attention from one task to another, which incurs a measurable performance cost in terms of time, accuracy, and mental effort. For individuals with ADHD and other conditions affecting executive function, task switching is particularly challenging…

Technophobia(also: Technology Anxiety, Computer Anxiety)

An irrational fear or anxiety about using technology, often manifesting as avoidance of computers, smartphones, or websites. Technophobia can stem from negative past experiences, fear of making mistakes, concerns about privacy and security, or feeling overwhelmed by rapidly…

Tele-rehabilitation(also: Telerehab, Remote Rehabilitation, Virtual Rehabilitation)

Tele-rehabilitation is the delivery of rehabilitation services remotely using information and communication technology, enabling therapy and cognitive training to occur in a person's home or community setting rather than exclusively in clinical facilities. For people with…

Temporal Agency

The degree of control a viewer has over the timing and pace of media content consumption. In accessibility contexts, temporal agency refers to the ability to slow down, pause, rewind, or otherwise adjust the temporal flow of audiovisual content to accommodate individual…

Text Complexity(also: Linguistic complexity, Text difficulty)

The degree to which a piece of writing demands advanced reading skills to comprehend, driven by factors such as vocabulary frequency, syntactic structure, sentence length, passage organisation, and background-knowledge assumptions. In Automatic Text Simplification and…

Text Customization(also: User Text Preferences, Text Personalization)

The ability for users to adjust the visual presentation of text content to suit their individual reading needs, including modifying font size, typeface, line spacing, letter spacing, color contrast, and background color. Text customization is frequently recommended as an…

Text Simplification(also: Plain Language Conversion, Content Simplification)

The process of rewriting text to make it easier to read and understand, typically by using shorter sentences, simpler vocabulary, and clearer structure while preserving the essential meaning. Text simplification supports cognitive accessibility for people with intellectual…

Text Simplification(also: Automatic Text Simplification, Content Simplification)

The process of transforming complex written text into simpler, more understandable versions while preserving the essential meaning. Text simplification can be performed manually by content authors following plain language guidelines, or automatically using natural language…

Text Skimming(also: Content Skimming, Accessible Skimming)

A reading strategy where a person quickly reviews a document to get an overview of its content, identify key points, and locate specific information without reading every word. Sighted readers skim using visual cues like headings, bold text, paragraph breaks, and spatial layout.…

Theory of Mind(also: ToM, Mentalizing, Mind Reading)

The cognitive ability to attribute mental states—beliefs, intentions, desires, emotions, knowledge—to oneself and others, and to understand that others may have mental states different from one's own. Theory of Mind deficits are associated with autism spectrum disorder and…

Time Agnosia(also: Time Blindness)

Difficulty accurately perceiving the passage of time, common in ADHD and often manifesting as losing track of hours while scrolling, underestimating how long tasks take, or chronic lateness. The ADHD community increasingly prefers the term "agnosia" over "blindness" to avoid…

Time Blindness(also: Diminished time awareness)

A reduced or unreliable awareness of the passage of time, commonly associated with ADHD and related executive-function differences. People experiencing time blindness may struggle to estimate how long tasks take, notice elapsed time during immersive activities, or plan backward…

Time Management

The ability to plan and control how time is allocated to specific activities. In the context of accessibility and assistive technology, time management support helps individuals with cognitive impairments organise and complete daily tasks by providing structured reminders,…

Tower of Hanoi(also: Tower of Hanoi Task, Tower Task)

The Tower of Hanoi is a classic cognitive assessment puzzle used in neuropsychology and educational research to measure multi-step planning and executive function abilities. The task requires moving a set of discs or objects from one position to another according to specific…

Training Wheels Interface(also: Training Wheels, Progressive Disclosure)

An interface design pattern that reduces complexity for novice users by hiding or disabling advanced features until they are needed, then gradually revealing them as the user gains competence. Named after the stabilizing wheels on children's bicycles, this approach prevents…

Trauma-Informed Care(also: TIC, Trauma-Informed Approach)

A framework originating in social work practice that asks organisations and service providers to recognise the widespread impact of trauma on the people they serve and to integrate that understanding into their policies, procedures, and interactions. Rather than directly…

Traumatic Brain Injury(also: TBI, Acquired Brain Injury, Head Injury)

An injury to the brain caused by an external bodily force, typically from road traffic accidents, falls, or other impacts. TBI severity is classified using the Glasgow Coma Scale (GCS): mild (GCS 13-15), moderate (GCS 9-12), and severe (GCS 3-8), with additional factors…

Traumatic brain injury(also: TBI, Acquired brain injury)

An injury to the brain caused by an external force such as a blow, jolt, or penetrating object, resulting in temporary or permanent impairments to cognitive, physical, and psychosocial functioning. TBI can affect attention, memory, executive function, language processing, social…

Trouble-Indicating Behavior(also: TIB, Trouble Source-Repair)

Verbal or nonverbal behaviors that signal confusion, misunderstanding, or difficulty in communication. In research on dementia and human-robot interaction, TIBs are categorized into types including: requests for repetition, requests for clarification, metalinguistic comments ("I…

Tutoring System(also: Intelligent Tutoring System, ITS, Computer-Based Tutor)

Software that provides personalised instruction and feedback to learners, adapting its responses based on the learner's performance, knowledge level, and error patterns. In accessibility contexts, tutoring systems can be designed to support learners with disabilities by…

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