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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.

301 topics, showing 271–280 (page 28 of 31).

T

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.

Transition to adult services

Also called Transition, Moving to adult services, Preparing for adulthood

Children's services end at 18 and the communication support often ends with them. Here is how to carry it across the gap.

Turn-taking

Also called Conversational turn-taking, Serve and return, Reciprocity

The back-and-forth that every conversation runs on, learned in the first months of life through noises, faces and games long before words.

Two-switch scanning

Also called Dual-switch scanning, Two-switch step scan, Move and select

One switch moves the highlight, the other chooses. Full control of the pace, at the price of two reliable movements instead of one.

Two-word stage

Also called Two-word combinations, Telegraphic speech, Word combinations

"More juice", "daddy gone", "no bed": the point where words start to combine, and the right first target for AAC as well.

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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