AAC Motor Access & Alternative Input Methods 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which motor access method uses infrared light to track corneal reflections and pupil position for AAC control?
- Head mouse technology
- Sip-and-puff interface
- Eye gaze technology (Correct answer)
- Switch scanning with a joystick
Correct answer: Eye gaze technology
Eye gaze technology uses infrared cameras and light sources to track the reflection off the cornea and pupil to determine where the user is looking on the screen.
Question 2: A head mouse system primarily translates which type of movement into cursor control?
- Tongue and oral movements
- Head and neck movements (Correct answer)
- Eye movements
- Controlled respiratory effort
Correct answer: Head and neck movements
A head mouse uses sensors (such as infrared reflective dots or camera-based tracking) to translate head and neck movements into cursor movement on the screen.
Question 3: Sip-and-puff technology converts which type of input into switch signals for AAC or computer control?
- Voice pitch and volume commands
- Head rotation angles
- Breath control through inhaling and exhaling (Correct answer)
- Fingertip pressure variations
Correct answer: Breath control through inhaling and exhaling
Sip-and-puff devices detect the direction and sometimes intensity of breath—inhaling (sip) and exhaling (puff)—converting them into switch signals to control devices.
Question 4: During feature matching for motor access, which factor must be assessed FIRST before selecting an access method?
- The current retail price of candidate devices
- The user's most reliable, consistent voluntary movement (Correct answer)
- The vocabulary storage capacity of candidate devices
- The availability of local technical support services
Correct answer: The user's most reliable, consistent voluntary movement
Identifying the user's most reliable voluntary movement is foundational to feature matching, as the access method must align with available motor capabilities.
Question 5: What is a 'keyguard' used for in AAC direct selection access?
- Password protection for the device settings
- A physical overlay that prevents accidental activation of adjacent keys (Correct answer)
- A scanning pattern for keyboard-based AAC
- A software lock that disables unintended screen touches
Correct answer: A physical overlay that prevents accidental activation of adjacent keys
A keyguard is a physical overlay with openings positioned over targets, helping users with limited motor precision avoid accidentally activating adjacent items during direct selection.
Question 6: Which positioning factor is MOST critical when setting up AAC device access for a user with motor impairments?
- Ensuring the device screen faces outward toward communication partners
- Optimizing the user's postural support and device placement to maximize motor control (Correct answer)
- Maximizing the number of vocabulary items on the display
- Minimizing the total weight of the mounted device
Correct answer: Optimizing the user's postural support and device placement to maximize motor control
Proper postural support and device positioning are foundational because they directly affect the user's motor stability, access accuracy, and communicative efficiency.
Question 7: In AAC switch access, what does 'switch latency' refer to?
- The delay between switch activation and the device's registered response (Correct answer)
- The type of switch mechanism used for scanning navigation
- The physical distance between the switch and the AAC device
- The time a user takes to learn a new switch placement
Correct answer: The delay between switch activation and the device's registered response
Switch latency is the measured delay between when a switch is physically activated and when the device registers and responds to that input, which must be calibrated to the user's motor timing.
AAC Motor Access & Alternative Input Methods 2
Which motor access method uses infrared light to track corneal reflections and pupil position for AAC control?