Language Unity WordCore WordPower AQLS

Table of Contents For Beginners For Non-Readers For Literate Individuals

Language for Beginners

Learning What Symbols Mean

• Offer constant activity-based practice and rewards.
• Use one word for each icon. At a beginning level of the Unity language system, there is one word assigned to each icon so that the device user can start by learning the correspondence between one symbol and one word.
• Tell the icon stories. There are stories (metaphors) about each icon so that people can make an association with the symbol.
• Allow time for motor planning. Many AAC communicators soon switch from metaphors to motor planning and remember the position of the icon that corresponds to the word they want to say. Here are some examples of icons and their beginning meanings:

  
  The sun = the word "like" because everybody likes a sunny day.

  
  The frog = the word "go" because he is obviously going somewhere, and there is a green light in the picture.

• Core words will be used every day. Words assigned to each icon are taken from frequently-used word lists, thus providing quick access to core vocabulary. Core vocabulary is the set of words used by most people across environments and activities. Core vocabulary does not contain many nouns. For example, the word "go" is used more frequently in everyday life than the word "frog," so "go" was assigned to the FROG icon in Unity 1-hit.

• SpringBoard Unity 32 - Has 27 one-hit words
• Vantage and Vanguard Unity 45 1-Hit - Has 32 one-hit words
• Vantage and Vanguard Unity 84 - Has 67 one-hit words
• Pathfinder Unity 128 One Hit - Has 84 one-hit words

Go on to Using Symbols for Meaning