title: Non-speech communication symbols and systems: where have we been and where are we going?
abstract: During the past quarter century, and especially during the past decade, we have seen the emergence of various non-speech communication symbols and systems as viable means of communication by and with severely handicapped individuals. A brief overview of the full range of both aided (static or graphic) and unaided (dynamic or manual) non-speech symbols and systems is presented. A hierarchy of difficulty, cognitive requisites, approximation to English (or other natural languages), abstraction, acceptance, etc. is considered. Advantages of non-speech communication are related to general input simplification, response production, receptive language/auditory processing, stimulus processing/stimulus association, and symbolic representation. The advantages of vocabulary limits and attentional facilitation for intervention with severely handicapped individuals are discussed. Major research issues are also explored.
mesh_terms: D001288:Attention; D003143:Communication Devices for People with Disabilities / Q000639:trends*; D005793:Generalization, Psychological; D005868:Gestures; D006801:Humans; D008607:Intellectual Disability / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D007398:Interpersonal Relations; D009633:Nonverbal Communication / Q000639:trends*; D012656:Self-Help Devices / Q000639:trends*; D012813:Sign Language; D013060:Speech; D014796:Visual Perception; D014825:Vocabulary