Accessibility
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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.

15 topics filed under T, showing 1–10 (page 1 of 2).

T

Tactile symbols

Also called Tangible symbols, Textured symbols, Touch symbols, Tactile cues

Symbols you can feel: textures, shapes and part-objects on cards, for people who cannot see a picture symbol or hear a spoken word.

Talking Mats

Also called Talking Mat, Digital Talking Mats

A mat, a topic, a set of picture cards and a scale from happy to unhappy. A way for anyone to give their view on anything, and have it recorded.

Teaching a new word

Also called Introducing vocabulary, Word learning on a device, Targeting a word

How a word moves from a card on the device into the person's own use: modelling, hundreds of times, in real situations, without ever making them press it.

Telling stories

Also called Recounting, Narrative on a device, Personal narrative, News

Recounting the day on a device: who, what, where and then what. The hardest thing to do with a board and the one that makes a person a person to everyone else.

Text-based AAC

Also called Typing to speak, Text-to-speech AAC, Spelling-based AAC, Keyboard AAC

Typing to speak. The most flexible AAC there is, for anyone who can spell, and the reason literacy is worth fighting for.

Text-to-speech

Also called TTS, Speech synthesis, Speech output

How a device turns the words on the screen into a voice in the room, and what to check when the voice says the wrong thing.

Time words

Also called Temporal vocabulary, Time concepts, When words

Now, later, yesterday, soon, wait: the words for when. Why they are among the hardest to learn, and how a board and a timetable together make them real.

Total communication

Also called TC, Total communication approach, Total communication environment

Speech, sign, symbol, gesture, writing, objects, all at once, and whichever gets through is the right one.

Touch settings

Also called Hold time, Release time, Touch guard, Acceptance time, Debounce

Hold time, release time and touch guard: three timing settings that turn an unreliable finger into a reliable one, without buying anything.

Tracheostomy and communication

Also called Trache, Trachy, Speaking valve

A tube in the windpipe takes air away from the voice box. Speaking valves, cuff changes and plain alternatives can give the voice back.

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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