What terms should we use for AAC and the people who use it? Results from a terminology survey

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Zisk, A. H., Konyn, L., & Niemeijer, D. (2025). What terms should we use for AAC and the people who use it? Results from a terminology survey. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2025.2588563

Journal or book title
Augmentative and Alternative Communication
Publisher
Informa UK Limited
Pages
1-12
Publication date: 27 Nov 2025 Added to AutiHub: 9 Aug 2026 Type: Article Article language: English
Publisher source (DOI) OpenAlex source

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Authors

Publication authors
3
Publication authors identified as autistic
2 / 3 (66.7%)
  1. Alyssa Hillary Zisk *
  2. Lily Konyn *
  3. David Niemeijer

Abstract

This study aimed to elicit and analyze the views and preferences of a variety of AAC stakeholders regarding terminology related to augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) and the people who use or could benefit from it. We used an anonymous online survey to ask nonspeaking AAC users, speaking AAC users, relatives of AAC users, and AAC professionals their preferences on 119 English terms related to AAC, AAC users, and communication disability. The survey also collected demographic information, including age, country, connection to AAC, and disability identity. A total of 556 participants completed the survey. We aimed to determine broad terminology preferences across stakeholder groups and identify areas of disagreement between stakeholders. By making comparisons between related terms and between stakeholder groups, we were able to achieve this aim. There were statistically significant preferences between terms within all groups of related terms. Stakeholder groups also frequently disagreed with each other about AAC terminology: between-group differences in the frequency with which respondents supported, disliked, and/or were unfamiliar with terms were present for 81 of the 119 terms. The preferences uncovered in this study can support respectful language guidance around AAC. Further work should ideally address terminology preferences among stakeholder samples that are less focused on the United States, more focused on marginalized cultural groups, include stakeholders with more limited language skills, and/or address terminology in languages other than English.

Bibliography cited by this reference

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Cited bibliography overview

These indicators describe the bibliography cited by this publication. An author name is counted each time it appears in one cited reference, so the same person can be counted more than once. Names not yet linked to an author already present in AutiHub are treated as unknown, not as non-autistic. Last computed: 3 Oct 2026 01:01.

Cited references
49
With a DOI
34
Without a DOI, from raw bibliography text
15
7 / 49 (14.3%) cited references include at least one author identified as autistic.
References with data to complete
10 / 49 (20.4%)
References with detected author names
39 / 49 (79.6%)
Without detected author names
10
Without a structured title
10
Without a stable identifier
15
References with raw author names still to review
0
References with external metadata lookup issues
0
These indicators apply to cited references displayed on this page, after technical duplicates have been merged. A reference without a DOI can still support author statistics when a title and author names are available.
Author names detected in the cited bibliography
102
From DOI or external metadata
102
From validated raw bibliography text
0
Raw names already validated
0
Raw names still to review
20
32 / 102 (31.4%) names are linked to an author already present in AutiHub. 70 / 102 (68.6%) names are not yet linked.
Names linked to a person identified as autistic
11 / 102 (10.8%)
Calculated across all author names detected in the cited bibliography. Among names linked to an author already present in AutiHub: 11 / 32 (34.4%). Distinct people identified as autistic: 9 / 96 (9.4%).
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