Communication A to Z

Somebody hands you a leaflet that says AAC. A review mentions partner-assisted scanning. A ward asks whether your dad has a communication passport. Everyone else in the room seems to know what these words mean, and asking feels like admitting you're behind. You aren't. This library explains each one plainly: what it is, who it helps, how it works, and what you can do about it this week. Search by the word you heard.

Please note: This page is general information about communication and the ways people are supported to communicate. It is not an assessment, a diagnosis or speech and language therapy, and it does not know the person you have in mind. If you are worried about someone's speech, language or communication, ask a GP, a health visitor or a speech and language therapist. In an emergency, call 999; if you cannot speak, Relay UK on 18000 or the emergencySMS service reach the same operators.

16 topics filed under M, showing 1–10 (page 1 of 2).

M

Makaton

Also called Makaton signing, Makaton symbols

Signs and symbols used with speech, in English word order, to help people with learning disabilities understand and be understood.

Manners and social words

Also called Politeness words, Social vocabulary, Manners set

Please, thank you and sorry are worth having. They are not worth withholding a drink for, and a board that demands 'please' first teaches the wrong lesson.

Mealtimes and communication

Also called Eating and drinking communication, Communication at the table

Mealtimes happen three times a day and are full of choices. That makes them the best communication lesson in the house, if the person has the words.

Mean length of utterance

Also called MLU, MLUm, Utterance length

The number in a therapy report that says how much a person says in one go. Worth understanding, because it is how progress gets measured.

Meltdowns and shutdowns

Also called Autistic meltdown, Shutdown, Overload

What a meltdown and a shutdown are, what they are not (a tantrum, a choice), and how to communicate before, during and after one.

Mental Capacity Act and communication

Also called MCA, MCA 2005, Mental Capacity Act 2005

Before anyone can say a person lacks capacity, they must have tried every practicable way of helping that person decide. Communication is where most fail.

Message banking

Also called Phrase banking, Legacy messages, Recorded messages

Recording whole phrases in your own voice, the way you actually say them, to play back from a device later. Quick, free, and impossible to fake afterwards.

Minimally speaking

Also called Minimally verbal, Limited speech, Unreliably speaking

People who have some words but can't rely on speech for most of what they want to say, and why a few words are not a reason to withhold AAC.

Modelling without expectation

Also called Modelling, Modeling without expectation, No-demand modelling

Show the system, don't demand a reply. The moment modelling turns into a test, the person stops watching and starts bracing.

Moon

Also called Moon type, Moon alphabet, Moon code

A raised-line reading system whose letters are simplified capitals, made for people who lost their sight after learning to read print.

Try a voice now, free

Fiducia Talk is a complete talking board: 308 symbol cards, a phonics keyboard and a big-key keyboard, speaking in your device's own voice. No account, no subscription, and nothing you say leaves your device.

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