Topics for Communication Notebook



Topic List for Adults

Activities/hobbies: (new OR old)

Activities over the weekend

Art

Cards/games (e.g. bridge, poker, dominoes, etc.)

Collecting

Dinner with friends

Eating out

Entertaining

Exercise

Fixing up the house

Food/eating

Games

Gardening

Movies

Music

Pets

Painting

Reading

Sewing

Shopping

Socializing

Sports

Stamp collecting

Television

Travel

Walks

Writing

Appointments

Doctor

Hospital

Therapist

Counselor

Errands:

Grocery store

Bank

Pharmacy

Library

Community

Elections

Politics

City, county, state organizations

Volunteer groups

Environment

Conversational Topics:

Stories of the past (i.e. reminiscing)

Tall Tales

News events

Weather

Activities over weekend

Family life:

Finances

Furniture

Health/illness

Holidays

Household routines/chores

People

Pets

Possessions

Prayers

Rituals

Feelings:

Common feelings (e.g. angry, happy, sad, etc.)

Hopes and Dreams

Recovery, survival

Philosophy

Personal opinions

Likes and dislikes

Observations

Judgments

About Activity limitations

Opinions of others

Family members

Health:

Asking questions of health providers (doctors, nurses, therapists)

Current Health (physical, psychological)

Current Health Plan (therapy, medications, surgeries, tests, etc.)

Disabilities, barriers

Family Health

Health Habits (diet, exercise, etc.)

Making decisions

Past Health (injuries, conditions, etc.)

History:

Family history (e.g. children, events)

Educational history

Finances, money

Past employment

Old hobbies

Travels/trips/vacations of the past

Politics, voting

Personal Care:

Appointments

Body Parts (e.g. hands, feet, etc.)

Care/Assistance

Caregivers/Team

Disease/illness

Equipment/Personal Aids

Finances

Health

Legal issues, lawyers, wills

Medicine/medications

Physical Assistance (e.g. suctioning, turning, transfer, etc.)

Physical Needs (e.g. hungry, thirsty, etc.)

Physical State (e.g. feeling hot, cold, tired, etc.)

Positioning (e.g. lying on back, sitting up, etc.)

Power of Attorney

Safety

People - Social Network:

Professionals you interact with (e.g. doctor, nurse, etc.)

Friends & Acquaintances

Leisure partners (e.g. bridge partners, gambling friends, fishing buddies, etc.)

Family

Acquaintances

Immediate family

Close friends

Public figures

Relatives

Service providers

Strangers

People: Self

Achievements

Health

Family

Stories

Vocation/Employment

Military service

Places:

Maps of close locations (e.g. city, neighborhood, etc.)

Maps of distant locations (e.g. state, country, world etc.)

Drawings of places you spend time (e.g. your home, your office, etc.)

Stores you shop in

Places you go for leisure (e.g. parks, beaches)

Houses of worship

Home, apartments, nursing home, group home

Recreational home/cottage

Recreational vehicle (RV), motor home

Friends’ houses

Related: How you get to these places, transportation

Related: Whom you go with

Related: How you feel about going

People: peers/colleagues/co-workers

Health

Stories

Shared activities

Relationships

Travel:

Means of transportation (airplane, bus, car, RV, etc.)

Places to go (see maps and Locations)

Shopping/buying/selling:

Clothing

Tools

Books

Music

Furniture

Time: Structure words

Time of day (e.g. clock)

Time of the week or month (e.g. current calendar)

Times of your lives (e.g. during the war, when kids were young, etc.)

Seasons of the year

Time to do something (e.g. List of activities for today)

Questions about time (e.g. how long? When?)

Time: Past and Future Plans

Travel/trips/vacations

Educational activities

Major purchases

Sources:

Balandin, S., & Iacono, T. (1998a) A few well-chosen words. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 14, 147-161.

Balandin, S. and Iacono, T. (1999). Crews, Wusses, and Whoppas: Core and Fringe Vocabularies of Australian Meal-Break Conversations in the Workplace. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 15 (2), p. 95 – 109.

Stuart, S., Beukelman, D.R. and King, J. (1997). Vocabulary Use during Extended Conversations by Two Cohorts of Older Adults. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 13, 40 – 47.

Stuart, S., Vanderhoof, D. and Beukelman, D.R. (1993). Topic and Vocabulary Use Patterns of Elderly Women. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 9 (2), p 95 – 110.

Kagan, A., Winckel, J. and Shumway, E. (1996) Pictographic Communication Resources: Enhancing Communicative Access. North York, CA: Aphasia Center.

Beukelman & Gutmann, Nov 1999, Generic Message List for AAC Users with ALS at

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