What is core vocabulary?
- Relatively small number of words that constitute the vast majority of what is said in normal communication
- Messages commonly used by a variety of individuals that occur very frequently
- Determined by analysis of operationally and socially competent people who use AAC
- With a few hundred words, a person can say over 80% of what is needed (Vanderheiden & Kelso, 1987)
High-frequency words have two components:
General core vocabulary - high-frequency words that are of general conversational use (e.g., pronouns, articles, and prepositions)
Personal core vocabulary - words frequently used by a particular individual that are not frequently used by others (e.g., names of people and places)
Consistent across:
- Population (toddlers/preschoolers, adolescents, adults, elderly, people who use AAC)
- Environments (home, restaurants, malls, churches, hospital)
- Topics (work, food, family life, gossip, education)
- Activities (talking on the phone, eating, shopping, playing games, hobbies)
Top 30 core vocabulary words that everyone should have on his or her communication display:
- all done/finished
- all gone/gone bad
- different
- good
- more
- what
- not/don't
- that
- this
- I/name
- it
- you/your
- again
- ready
- do/does/did
- help
- look/see
- stop
- want
- big
- little
- away
- come
- drink
- eat
- get
- give
- go
- live
*Information gathered from the work of Gail M. Van Tatenhove
http://www.vantatenhove.com/
