AAC High-Tech AAC Device Programming 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which programming strategy best supports language development in a child who is a beginning AAC user, according to current evidence-based practice?
- Programming only nouns and verbs until the child shows readiness for more language
- Providing access to robust vocabulary from the start, including core and fringe words (Correct answer)
- Limiting the device to 10 symbols to avoid overwhelming the child
- Using only picture-based symbols without any text
Correct answer: Providing access to robust vocabulary from the start, including core and fringe words
Evidence-based practice supports providing robust vocabulary — including core and fringe words — from the beginning, rather than withholding language.
Question 2: What does 'prestored message' programming in a high-tech AAC device primarily support?
- Real-time language generation
- Quick access to frequently used phrases, social scripts, or narratives (Correct answer)
- Automatic correction of grammatical errors
- Environmental control unit operations
Correct answer: Quick access to frequently used phrases, social scripts, or narratives
Prestored messages allow users to access complete phrases or scripts quickly, supporting social interaction, narratives, and common communicative routines.
Question 3: A clinician is programming an AAC device for a bilingual user. Which approach is considered best practice?
- Program only the user's dominant language to avoid confusion
- Create separate language profiles or pages for each language the user speaks (Correct answer)
- Use English as the primary language regardless of the user's home language
- Alternate between languages randomly across pages
Correct answer: Create separate language profiles or pages for each language the user speaks
Best practice for bilingual AAC users is to create separate language profiles or pages so the user can access vocabulary in both languages appropriately.
Question 4: In high-tech AAC systems, what is 'semantic compaction' (as used in Unity® vocabulary)?
- A method of compressing audio files to save device memory
- A symbol-based encoding system where sequences of symbols produce words or phrases (Correct answer)
- A technique for reducing page count by merging similar vocabulary
- An algorithm that predicts the next word based on prior selections
Correct answer: A symbol-based encoding system where sequences of symbols produce words or phrases
Semantic compaction is an encoding technique where multi-hit symbol sequences (like Minspeak®) produce words or phrases, allowing efficient access to large vocabularies.
Question 5: Which of the following is a key consideration when programming rate enhancement strategies for an experienced adult AAC user?
- Disabling word prediction to keep the interface simple
- Incorporating abbreviation expansion, prestored phrases, and word prediction based on the user's specific communication patterns (Correct answer)
- Using only single-hit access to full phrases
- Limiting vocabulary to 50 words to maximize speed
Correct answer: Incorporating abbreviation expansion, prestored phrases, and word prediction based on the user's specific communication patterns
Experienced adult users benefit from multiple rate enhancement strategies — abbreviation expansion, prestored messages, and personalized word prediction — tailored to their communication needs.
Question 6: When setting up an environmental control unit (ECU) feature on a high-tech AAC device, which technology is most commonly used to control home appliances?
- Morse code signal transmission
- Infrared (IR) or Bluetooth wireless protocols (Correct answer)
- FM radio frequency
- USB direct connection only
Correct answer: Infrared (IR) or Bluetooth wireless protocols
Infrared (IR) and Bluetooth are the most commonly used wireless protocols in high-tech AAC devices for environmental control of televisions, lights, and other appliances.
Question 7: A user's AAC device frequently produces unintended activations. Which programming adjustment should the SLP trial first for a direct touch user?
- Increase button size and add a touch release acceptance setting (Correct answer)
- Switch the user to scanning access immediately
- Disable all word prediction features
- Reduce the number of pages in the device
Correct answer: Increase button size and add a touch release acceptance setting
Increasing button size and enabling touch release (activation occurs when the finger lifts, not lands) reduces unintended activations for direct touch users.
AAC High-Tech AAC Device Programming 3
Which programming strategy best supports language development in a child who is a beginning AAC user, according to current evidence-based practice?