Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jun 24, 2026

Assessment and Communication for People with Disorders of Consciousness
Published on: August 1, 2017
Augmentative and alternative communication: scope and peculiarities of terms and concepts in Brazil
1Programa de Mestrado Profissional Saúde, FCM, Unicamp. reginayu@fcm.unicamp.br
Background:
Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) is expanding in our country, however it is still not a widely recognized practice. Although the term 'Augmentative and Alternative Communication' is well defined in the international literature, in our country there is no official and/or accepted version.
Aim:
To review the terms used in Brazil and to discuss their implications, taking as a reference the policies and recommendations of Isaac--International Society for Augmentative and Alternative Communication.
Method:
A review of national Journals was made, consulting Lilacs and SciELO database, until the year of 2007.
Results:
The following versions were found: Comunicação Alternativa e Suplementar, Comunicação Alternativa, Comunicação Suplementar e/ou Alternativa, Sistemas Alternativos e Facilitadores de Comunicação, Comunicação Suplementar, Comunicação Alternativa e Ampliada.
Conclusion:
It is important for a given version/term, besides being adopted by its own use, to maintain the original intended sense and to be in consonance with recommendations/policies of the field it belongs, such as those proposed by Isaac. This is a relevant discussion for the consolidation and strengthening of AAC in Brazil and also for the establishment of descriptors in the field of Health Sciences.
Related Concept Videos
Barriers to Effective Communication II
Cultural barriers:
Differences in values, beliefs, religion, knowledge, and tradition can significantly impact communication. Awareness of nonverbal cues is critical, especially when conversing with a patient from a different culture. What appears appropriate in one culture may be inappropriate in another.
Semantic barriers:
As a result of their tendency to use...
Regional Terms
Primarily, the human body has two major regions, the axial and appendicular regions. The axial region comprises regions from the head to the abdomen and makes up the central body axis. In contrast,...
SBAR I: Understanding the Concept
Standardized methods of communication have been developed to ensure that information is...
Barriers to Effective Communication I
Communication barriers include the following:
Physiological barriers: They are limitations caused by a person's health condition or disability, such as hearing loss, poor eyesight, illness, or unconsciousness. An example to overcome this barrier...
Channels of Non-Verbal Communication
Sensory Modalities
General senses refer to the broad category of sensory information detected by receptors in the body and can be further grouped into somatic and visceral senses. Somatic sensations include touch, pressure, temperature, and pain and are essential for navigating our environment and...
