Glossary

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Caregiver Support(also: Carer Support, Family Support)

Assistance, training, and resources provided to family members, paid carers, and other individuals who support people with disabilities in daily life. In the context of assistive technology, caregiver support is essential because caregivers often play a critical role in setting…

Choice-Making(also: Choice Board, Aided Choice)

A structured communication and learning strategy in which an individual is presented with two or more options and supported to make a selection, often using pictures, objects, or symbols. Choice-making is a foundational skill in autism education and therapy, serving multiple…

Clear Face Mask(also: Transparent Face Mask, Window Face Mask, See-Through Mask)

A face covering that incorporates a transparent panel over the mouth area, allowing deaf and hard of hearing people to lip-read and observe facial expressions during conversation. Clear face masks emerged as an important accessibility solution during the COVID-19 pandemic, when…

Code-switching(also: Language switching, Code-mixing)

Code-switching is the practice of alternating between two or more languages, dialects, or communication styles within a single conversation or even a single sentence. It is common in multilingual households, immigrant communities, and among speakers of non-standard dialects.…

Cognitive-Communication Needs(also: CCN, Cognitive-Communication Disorders)

Difficulties in communication that arise from underlying cognitive deficits in areas such as attention, memory, organization, problem-solving, and executive function, rather than from primary language impairments. Cognitive-communication needs commonly result from traumatic…

Collective Communication Access(also: CCA)

A framework developed by McDonnell et al. (2023) that reconceptualises communication access as a shared, co-constructed practice distributed across everyone involved in an interaction, rather than as an individual accommodation provided to disabled participants. CCA argues that…

Comic Strip Conversations(also: CSC)

A visual-support technique developed by Carol Gray (1994) for autistic children and adolescents, in which a social interaction is illustrated as a short comic strip with simple stick figures, speech bubbles, thought bubbles, and colour codes for emotion. By externalising who…

Common Ground(also: Shared Understanding, Mutual Knowledge)

The mutual knowledge, beliefs, and assumptions shared between people communicating or collaborating. In accessibility and inclusive design, establishing common ground is essential for effective collaboration between people with different sensory abilities. Sighted people often…

Common Ground(also: Grounding, Mutual Understanding)

The shared knowledge, beliefs, and assumptions that conversation participants use to understand each other. In communication theory, grounding is the process by which speakers establish and maintain this mutual understanding through strategies such as referencing shared context,…

Communication Access

The right and ability of all people to communicate and be understood, regardless of the mode or method of communication they use. Communication access encompasses the provision of supports, technologies, and environments that enable effective communication for people with…

Communication Asymmetry(also: Interaction Asymmetry, Communication Imbalance)

The imbalance in communication capabilities, speed, or modalities between conversation partners. In AAC contexts, communication asymmetry arises because AAC users communicate at 12-18 words per minute compared to 125-185 for typical speakers, creating fundamental differences in…

Communication Board(also: AAC Board, Symbol Board, Choice Board)

A low-tech or digital display of symbols, pictures, words, or phrases arranged on a surface that a person with complex communication needs can point to, touch, or select to express messages. Communication boards can be static (fixed vocabulary on a single page) or dynamic…

Communication Breakdown(also: Conversational Breakdown, Communication Failure)

A disruption in conversation where the intended message is not successfully conveyed or understood, leading to confusion, misunderstanding, or loss of conversational coherence. In AAC communication, breakdowns can occur when backchanneling cues are missed (because the partner is…

Communication Disability(also: Communication Impairment, Complex Communication Needs)

A condition that significantly limits a person's ability to communicate through speech, language, or other conventional means. Communication disabilities can result from neurological conditions (cerebral palsy, stroke, ALS, Parkinson's disease), developmental conditions,…

Communication Impairment(also: CI, Communication Disorder, Communication Disability)

Damage to brain functions responsible for language and memory that impairs the expression and understanding of spoken and written language. Communication impairments can result from neurological disease, stroke, or acquired brain injury, and include conditions such as aphasia…

Communication Partner(also: Conversational Partner, Interaction Partner)

A person who regularly interacts with an AAC user and supports their communication, including family members, caregivers, teachers, therapists, and peers. Communication partners play a critical role in AAC success — they model AAC use, create opportunities for communication,…

Communication Partner Training(also: Conversation Partner Training)

Structured training for the people who regularly communicate with an AAC user — including family members, caregivers, teachers, and peers — to help them support effective communication. Communication partner training teaches strategies such as allowing extra time for AAC…

Communication Privacy Management Theory(also: CPM, CPM Theory)

A communication theory developed by Sandra Petronio that treats private information as something people own and collectively manage through negotiated rules about boundaries, co-ownership, and turbulence (boundary violations). CPM is widely used to analyse online…

Complex Communication Needs(also: CCN)

A term describing the communication challenges faced by individuals who cannot rely on speech alone to meet all their communication needs in daily life. People with complex communication needs may use a combination of speech, gestures, sign language, communication boards, and…

Computer-Mediated Communication(also: CMC)

Communication that occurs through digital devices and platforms, including text messaging, email, video conferencing, voice chat, and social media. Computer-mediated communication raises accessibility challenges because many platforms assume users can see, hear, type, or speak.…

Computerized Visual Communication(also: C-VIC)

A computer-based assistive technology system that enables people with aphasia to communicate by arranging icons and images on screen to form sentences, which can then be translated into spoken or written language. C-VIC systems use structured visual vocabularies where users…

Conversational Agency(also: Communicative Agency)

An individual's capacity to express themselves and achieve their communicative goals within a conversation. Conversational agency encompasses not just the ability to transmit messages but also the ability to shape conversation flow, express personality, negotiate meaning, and…

Conversational Flow(also: Dialogue Flow, Conversation Rhythm)

The natural rhythm and progression of a conversation, including the smooth exchange of turns, timely responses, appropriate pauses, and coherent topic development. Conversational flow depends on both partners' ability to produce and perceive turn-taking cues, backchanneling…

Conversational Management(also: Conversation Management, Interactional Management)

The processes by which interlocutors jointly regulate the structure of a conversation - taking and ceding turns, pre-empting interruptions, shifting attention and topic, repairing misunderstandings, and maintaining flow over time. In AAC research, conversational management is a…

Conversational Scaffolding(also: Scaffolded Interaction)

Human or technology-provided support, prompts, or guidance that helps individuals accomplish communication tasks they might struggle with independently. In voice assistant contexts, scaffolding includes features like setting up calendars, providing reminders, and offering…

Core Vocabulary(also: Core Words)

A small set of high-frequency words — typically pronouns, verbs, adjectives, and prepositions — that make up approximately 80% of what people say in everyday communication. Examples include words like "I," "want," "go," "more," "help," and "that." In AAC practice, core…

Cross-Cultural Adaptation Theory(also: CCAT, Kim's Cross-Cultural Adaptation Theory)

A communication theory, developed principally by Young Yun Kim, that describes how individuals adjust to an unfamiliar cultural environment over time through cycles of stress, adaptation, and growth. The theory emphasises that adaptation is mediated by host communication…

Cross-neurotype communication(also: Cross-neurological communication, Neurotype-crossing communication)

Communication between individuals with different neurological profiles, most commonly between autistic and neurotypical people. Cross-neurotype communication is characterized by differences in conversational style — autistic individuals often prefer direct, literal language with…

Cued Speech(also: Cued Language)

A visual communication system that combines mouth movements of speech with hand shapes and positions (cues) near the face to make spoken language visually accessible. Unlike sign language, which is an independent language with its own grammar, cued speech represents the phonemes…

29 results.