The following section provides a brief description of some of the terms that are used in augmentative communication. Understanding some of these terms may be helpful as you become involved in your search for an appropriate communication system. Communication is based on the use of the individual words of our language.
True communication is spontaneous and novel.
Therefore, communication systems cannot be based significantly on pre-stored sentences. Communication requires access to a vocabulary of individual words suitable to our needs that are multiple and subject to change. These words must be selected to form the sentences that we wish to say. How we select these words is a function of our abilities and the systems we have available to us. When we cannot speak naturally, other methods of selecting words can be used.