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.

301 topics, showing 101–110 (page 11 of 31).

E

End-of-life communication

Also called Palliative care and AAC, Advance care planning and communication, Dying without speech

Saying what matters at the end, and planning ahead for the day speech goes, so that the last words are still yours.

Environmental control

Also called ECS, Environmental control system, EADL, Electronic assistive technology, Smart home control

Using the same switch, gaze or voice that runs your communication aid to work the lights, the telly, the door and the bed.

Expanding and recasting

Also called Expansion, Recast, Extension, Reformulation

They say 'dog run'. You say 'Yes, the dog is running'. You've confirmed the message, fixed the grammar and added a word, and you've corrected nothing.

Expressive language

Also called Language production, Output

Getting a message out of your head and into someone else's, by speech, sign, symbol, typing or pointing. The means doesn't matter; the message does.

Eye gaze

Also called Eye tracking, Eye control, Gaze access, Eye-gaze technology

Choosing by looking: a camera under the screen tracks the eyes, and a steady gaze on a cell selects it. Fast, hands-free, and fussier than it looks.

Eye gaze calibration

Also called Calibration, Gaze calibration, Eye tracker calibration

Teaching the camera this person's eyes by having them follow a few dots. Why it fails, what to change, and when to stop trying and skip it.

F

Facial expression and body language

Also called Non-verbal communication, Body language, Affect, Facial affect

Reading and being read. When the face doesn't do what the person means, both sides of the conversation need to know it.

Faith and community

Also called Worship and AAC, Religious inclusion, Community life and communication

Prayers, hymns, festivals and the club on a Thursday. Taking part in worship and community life with a communication difference.

Feelings vocabulary

Also called Emotion words, Emotional vocabulary, Feelings board

Words for emotions beyond happy and sad, why a person needs them before a crisis rather than during one, and how to teach them without a lesson.

Fingerspelling

Also called Finger spelling, Manual alphabet, BSL alphabet, Dactylology

Spelling a word letter by letter on the hands, using the two-handed British alphabet that anyone can learn in an afternoon.

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