SLPA CERTIFICATION EXAM SCRIPT
COMPLETE QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
●● Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
Answer: An area of clinical practice that supplements or compensates
for impairments in speech-language production and/or comprehension,
including spoken and written modes of communication.
AAC uses a variety of techniques and tools to help the individual
express thoughts, wants and needs, feelings, and ideas, including the
following:
manual signs
gestures
finger spelling
tangible objects
line drawings
picture communication boards and letter boards
speech-generating devices
●● AAC is 1. _______ when used to supplement existing speech, 2.
____when used in place of speech that is absent or not functional, or
3._____ as when used by patients postoperatively in intensive care
(Elsahar et al., 2019).
,Answer: 1. Augmentative
2. Alternative
3. Temporary
●● Individuals who use AAC have an impairment or a limitation in
speech, language, reading, and/or writing. These can be the result of
1.____ disabilities, 2.______ disabilities, or 3.____ differences such as
autism.
Answer: 1. congenital
2. acquired
3. neurological differences such as autism
●● Two forms/categories of AAC are
Answer: Unaided—do not require an external tool. Unaided forms
require some degree of motor control. Unaided forms include the
following:
Aided—require some form of external tool, either electronic or
nonelectronic. Nonelectronic aided forms are often referred to as "light-
tech" or "low-tech." Electronic forms may be referred to as "high-tech."
●● Linguistic competence
Answer: includes knowledge of and the ability to use the language(s)
spoken and written in the individual's family and community (see
Language In Brief) as well as knowledge of and the ability to use the
linguistic code (symbols, syntax, grammar) of the AAC system.
,●● Operational competence
Answer: requires skill in the technical operation of AAC systems and
techniques, including having the motor movements needed for unaided
approaches, using selection techniques for aided approaches, navigating
in and between systems, turning an electronic device on and off and
charging it, and operating electronic equipment and/or navigating pages
in a low-tech system.
●● Strategic competence
Answer: is the ability to use available features to convey messages
efficiently and effectively, including asking for choices due to
vocabulary limitations, using word/phrase prediction to enhance
efficiency, using an introductory (pre-stored) statement to explain AAC
to unfamiliar communication partners, and asking one's communication
partner to write or type messages to aid in understanding and to repair
communication breakdowns.
●● Social competence
Answer: is knowing what, where, with whom, when and when not to,
and in what manner to communicate. Social communication skills
include requesting attention; requesting or providing information; and
pragmatic skills, such as turn-taking, initiating and terminating
communication, topic maintenance, and code-switching.
●● Psychosocial competence
, Answer: is the ability to manage the demands and challenges of daily
life, maintain a state of mental well-being, and demonstrate adaptive and
positive behavior during communication (World Health Organization
[WHO], 1997). Psychosocial competence for AAC users includes being
motivated to communicate, having a positive attitude toward the use of
AAC, having confidence in one's ability to communicate effectively in a
given situation, and being resilient—persisting in the face of
communication failures.
●● Two treatments that are NOT recommended for AAC:
Answer: 1) Facilitated communication- a discredited technique by which
a "facilitator" provides physical and other supports in an attempt to assist
a person with a significant communication disability to point to pictures,
objects, printed letters and words, or a keyboard in order to
communicate. No evidence based practice.
2) The Rapid Prompting Method, also known as Spelling to
Communicate, is a technique in which an instructor holds a letter board
and provides prompts to encourage an individual to point to letters to
spell words. According to ASHA's position statement, Rapid Prompting
Method, "It is the position of the American Speech-Language-Hearing
Association (ASHA) that use of the Rapid Prompting Method (RPM) is
not recommended because of prompt dependency and the lack of
scientific validity.
●● Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
COMPLETE QUESTIONS AND CORRECT
ANSWERS
●● Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC)
Answer: An area of clinical practice that supplements or compensates
for impairments in speech-language production and/or comprehension,
including spoken and written modes of communication.
AAC uses a variety of techniques and tools to help the individual
express thoughts, wants and needs, feelings, and ideas, including the
following:
manual signs
gestures
finger spelling
tangible objects
line drawings
picture communication boards and letter boards
speech-generating devices
●● AAC is 1. _______ when used to supplement existing speech, 2.
____when used in place of speech that is absent or not functional, or
3._____ as when used by patients postoperatively in intensive care
(Elsahar et al., 2019).
,Answer: 1. Augmentative
2. Alternative
3. Temporary
●● Individuals who use AAC have an impairment or a limitation in
speech, language, reading, and/or writing. These can be the result of
1.____ disabilities, 2.______ disabilities, or 3.____ differences such as
autism.
Answer: 1. congenital
2. acquired
3. neurological differences such as autism
●● Two forms/categories of AAC are
Answer: Unaided—do not require an external tool. Unaided forms
require some degree of motor control. Unaided forms include the
following:
Aided—require some form of external tool, either electronic or
nonelectronic. Nonelectronic aided forms are often referred to as "light-
tech" or "low-tech." Electronic forms may be referred to as "high-tech."
●● Linguistic competence
Answer: includes knowledge of and the ability to use the language(s)
spoken and written in the individual's family and community (see
Language In Brief) as well as knowledge of and the ability to use the
linguistic code (symbols, syntax, grammar) of the AAC system.
,●● Operational competence
Answer: requires skill in the technical operation of AAC systems and
techniques, including having the motor movements needed for unaided
approaches, using selection techniques for aided approaches, navigating
in and between systems, turning an electronic device on and off and
charging it, and operating electronic equipment and/or navigating pages
in a low-tech system.
●● Strategic competence
Answer: is the ability to use available features to convey messages
efficiently and effectively, including asking for choices due to
vocabulary limitations, using word/phrase prediction to enhance
efficiency, using an introductory (pre-stored) statement to explain AAC
to unfamiliar communication partners, and asking one's communication
partner to write or type messages to aid in understanding and to repair
communication breakdowns.
●● Social competence
Answer: is knowing what, where, with whom, when and when not to,
and in what manner to communicate. Social communication skills
include requesting attention; requesting or providing information; and
pragmatic skills, such as turn-taking, initiating and terminating
communication, topic maintenance, and code-switching.
●● Psychosocial competence
, Answer: is the ability to manage the demands and challenges of daily
life, maintain a state of mental well-being, and demonstrate adaptive and
positive behavior during communication (World Health Organization
[WHO], 1997). Psychosocial competence for AAC users includes being
motivated to communicate, having a positive attitude toward the use of
AAC, having confidence in one's ability to communicate effectively in a
given situation, and being resilient—persisting in the face of
communication failures.
●● Two treatments that are NOT recommended for AAC:
Answer: 1) Facilitated communication- a discredited technique by which
a "facilitator" provides physical and other supports in an attempt to assist
a person with a significant communication disability to point to pictures,
objects, printed letters and words, or a keyboard in order to
communicate. No evidence based practice.
2) The Rapid Prompting Method, also known as Spelling to
Communicate, is a technique in which an instructor holds a letter board
and provides prompts to encourage an individual to point to letters to
spell words. According to ASHA's position statement, Rapid Prompting
Method, "It is the position of the American Speech-Language-Hearing
Association (ASHA) that use of the Rapid Prompting Method (RPM) is
not recommended because of prompt dependency and the lack of
scientific validity.
●● Autism spectrum disorder (ASD)
