Core vocabulary

Also called Core words, Core language

The few hundred small words that make up most of what anyone says. Put them on the board first and a person can talk about anything.

What it is

Core vocabulary is the small set of words that do most of the work in everyday talk: I, you, it, want, go, stop, more, not, that, here, what, help, like, do. They are mostly pronouns, verbs, prepositions and little grammatical words, and they are the same words whatever you are talking about.

Studies of spoken language keep finding the same shape: a few hundred words account for the large majority of what people say, and the pattern holds for toddlers and adults alike. The exact list varies by study and age, but the top fifty are remarkably stable.

Who it can help

Anyone starting with AAC, at any age, and anyone whose board is full of nouns. The classic mistake is to give a child a board of snacks and toys, which lets them request and nothing else. Core lets them protest, comment, ask, joke and refuse, which is what language is for.

It is not the whole answer. Core cannot say "Grandma", "Minecraft" or "physiotherapy"; that is fringe vocabulary, and a board needs both. And a person who can spell needs letters more than they need either.

How it works

Core words are placed on a core board or the home page of a device, in fixed positions, so that they can be reached in one hit and learned by motor plan. Because they combine, a board of 40 core words can make thousands of two and three-word messages: "want that", "not go", "more here", "you do it".

Teaching follows the same logic. Partners model core words in real situations, all day (aided language stimulation), and target a handful at a time. A typical approach is to choose a few new words a week and use each of them, on the board, in every situation it fits.

Getting started

Print a core board this week from a free source, or open the Talk board and use its sentence starters and action cards. Pick four words to start: "more", "stop", "go" and "help" is a common quartet, because each one gets an immediate response.

Model, don't test. Point to "go" as you say "let's go", every time, for a week. Don't ask the person to point back. When they do, respond as if they had said it aloud, because they have.

Watch for the noun-only board. If the person's vocabulary is all things and no verbs, the fix is to add core words, not more things.

Where to get help

ACE Centre and CALL Scotland publish free core boards and teaching guides. Project Core, from the University of North Carolina, offers a free 36-word universal core and a full teaching programme. Communication Matters runs training days on core vocabulary. Your speech and language therapist can choose the first words with the person and the family.