AAC Understanding Methods & Modalities 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What distinguishes a Speech-Generating Device (SGD) from a simple voice output communication aid (VOCA)?
- SGDs produce only digitized speech while VOCAs produce synthesized speech
- SGDs offer extensive vocabulary and robust language systems; basic VOCAs may only provide single messages (Correct answer)
- SGDs are exclusively used by children; VOCAs are for adults
- SGDs do not require programming; VOCAs must be pre-recorded
Correct answer: SGDs offer extensive vocabulary and robust language systems; basic VOCAs may only provide single messages
SGDs are feature-rich devices with expandable vocabulary and language systems, while basic VOCAs may only play a handful of pre-recorded messages.
Question 2: A clinician chooses a robust vocabulary approach for an AAC system. Which outcome is most directly targeted by this approach?
- Limiting the number of symbols to reduce cognitive load
- Providing a large, generative vocabulary to support language development (Correct answer)
- Focusing exclusively on functional wants and needs
- Restricting vocabulary to nouns and verbs only
Correct answer: Providing a large, generative vocabulary to support language development
Robust vocabulary approaches provide a comprehensive, generative set of words — including core and fringe — to support full language development.
Question 3: When a symbol set uses icons that visually resemble the objects they represent, those symbols are described as:
- Arbitrary
- Abstract
- Iconic (transparent) (Correct answer)
- Opaque
Correct answer: Iconic (transparent)
Iconic or transparent symbols visually resemble what they represent, making them easier to guess without prior instruction.
Question 4: Partner-assisted auditory scanning (PAAS) is most appropriate for users who:
- Have strong fine motor skills but limited vision
- Cannot reliably use any motor movement to access a device independently (Correct answer)
- Prefer high-tech solutions over low-tech ones
- Have age-appropriate cognitive skills and full verbal communication
Correct answer: Cannot reliably use any motor movement to access a device independently
PAAS is used when a user cannot reliably activate any switch or control independently, so a partner reads options aloud and the user signals their choice.
Question 5: Which scanning pattern presents items one at a time in a sequential left-to-right, top-to-bottom order?
- Group-item scanning
- Linear scanning (Correct answer)
- Row-column scanning
- Directed scanning
Correct answer: Linear scanning
Linear scanning moves through items one by one in order, which is simpler but slower than group-item or row-column scanning.
Question 6: An AAC user who speaks some intelligible words but also uses a communication device is best described as a:
- Non-speaking AAC user
- Multimodal communicator (Correct answer)
- Device-dependent communicator
- Emergent AAC user
Correct answer: Multimodal communicator
A multimodal communicator uses multiple methods — including natural speech and an AAC device — to communicate across contexts.
Question 7: In AAC, the term 'fringe vocabulary' refers to:
- Core words used most frequently across all speakers
- Highly individualized words specific to a person's life and interests (Correct answer)
- Vocabulary programmed only for emergency communication
- Abstract function words such as 'the,' 'is,' and 'it'
Correct answer: Highly individualized words specific to a person's life and interests
Fringe vocabulary consists of person-specific words — names, topics, places — that are meaningful to an individual but not universally high-frequency.
AAC Understanding Methods & Modalities 3
What distinguishes a Speech-Generating Device (SGD) from a simple voice output communication aid (VOCA)?