Extended Communication Samples of Augmented Communicators I

A Comparison of Individualized Versus Standard Single-Word Vocabularies

¹ University of Washington, Seattle
² University of Nebraska-Lincoln and Meyer Children's Rehabilitation Institute, Omaha, NE

Vocabulary selection for linguistically intact augmented communicators is a growing clinical concern. The purpose of this study as to compare and contrast the relative benefits of word lists that were individualized for these augmented subjects to word lists selected from standard vocabulary sources. Communication samples were collected for 14 consecutive days from 10 subjects who used augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices. These samples were analyzed to determine the frequency of single word occurrence, and the results were compared with those obtained from analysis of standard vocabulary lists. The conclusions of the study were (a) that when vocabulary lists are individually created, based on the frequency of word occurrence natural communication samples, relatively short lists can represent a large proportion of the total communication sample; (b) that individualized word lists are more efficient than standard vocabulary lists, if efficiency is defined as a large proportion of the total sample represented by a small list; and (c) that if used in their entirety, standard lists are not efficient because they contain large number of words that are rarely used.

Key Words: augmentative communication • communication • vocabulary

Submitted on February 23, 1989
Accepted on June 19, 1989