10 words to start with

A child's first cards are often food and toys: "juice", "biscuit", "ball". But with names of things alone it's hard to say "more", "don't", or "look". There's a small set of words that fit almost any situation. Specialists call them core vocabulary. Here are ten good ones to start with.

Core words and topic words

Core words are short and general: "more", "not", "go", "that". According to the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA), these high-frequency words make up about 80% of the words most people use every day. That figure comes mostly from English. In other languages the words and the proportions may differ, but there too a small set of frequent words comes in handy in many situations.

Topic words (also called fringe words) name particular things, people and places: "banana", "swing", "grandma". They're needed too — "want" without "juice" isn't always clear. Core words give the frame; topic words give the detail.

10 words to start with

1. More. When your child is enjoying something: "More swinging?" — touch "more", then push again.
2. Stop. Use it to stop an action or activity: a toy car, music, tickles. "Stop!" — and freeze.
3. Not. For refusing or disagreeing: "Not that", "Don't want". Your child badly needs a word for "no".
4. Want. Before a choice: "I want an apple." Touch "want" when you talk about your own wishes too.
5. Help. When something won't open or won't work: "Help open".
6. Go. For walks, games and movement: "Go outside?", "Ready, steady, go!"
7. Look. For sharing: "Look, a plane!" This word is for chatting, not for asking.
8. That. Together with a pointing finger, it means anything: "Want that", "Not that".
9. Like. For saying something's nice: "Like it! Yummy." Model "don't like" too.
10. Finished. For ending: "Finished eating." Your child needs a word to say "that's enough".

All ten are among the 36 words of Project Core's Universal Core set. If you use another language at home, choose words by meaning rather than translating word for word. In languages with lots of word endings, such as Ukrainian, a simple board often shows only one form of each word, and you reply with a full, natural sentence.

Why a word needs a fixed place

When a word is always in the same spot, it's easier to find and, if your child chooses by touch, easier to plan the movement to it — just as you switch on the light at home without looking for the switch. ASHA explains that words are often kept in the same place to reduce the demands on memory and motor planning as new ones are added. How far that's possible depends on the AAC system.

• Put these words on the main page of the board and, as far as you can, keep them in the same places.
• Add new words in empty cells. Leave a few cells free for later.
• On the paper copy, keep the words in the same places as on the tablet.

How to start

Project Core advises keeping all the Universal Core words available to a child, while adults focus their modelling on a few at a time. So you don't have to model all ten at once: pick three or four words a week and show them often in two everyday moments — at meals and in play. Once they feel natural to you, add the next ones. Our guide "Show it yourself: how to model AAC" explains how to show them.

Questions parents ask

Aren't these words too abstract for a little one?

"More" is hard to draw but easy to show: one more push on the swing, one more piece of apple. The situation helps a child learn the meaning, so use the word exactly when the action is happening.

So names of things aren't needed?

They are. Keep them in topic folders or on separate boards, and keep core words on the main page. Our guide "A first communication board in one evening" shows how to make one.

Can I move words around as the board grows?

Better not. Your child finds a word by where it usually is. If the board really has to be rearranged, do it rarely and show your child where things have moved.

Series “AAC: first steps” — part 6 of 8. Previous: A first communication board in one evening. Next: Show it yourself: how to model AAC. All parts.