Just-in-Time Support

In augmentative and alternative communication, the programming and availability of language concepts at the moment they are needed, rather than requiring pre-planning. Just-in-time support can be mentor-generated (e.g., a conversation partner quickly creating a hotspot on a visual scene display during an activity) or automated (e.g., technology that generates contextually relevant vocabulary based on sensor data, location, or photographs). The concept is grounded in three principles from education and cognitive science: reducing working memory demands by providing vocabulary when it is relevant, supporting situated cognition by connecting language to real-world contexts, and capitalizing on teachable moments when learners are engaged and primed to learn.