Proloquo2Go Manual 2.3_Nov_23 - AssistiveWare

6. How can I customize Proloquo2Go for an
individual user?
When you first start Proloquo2Go, you will need to select what type of vocabulary
organization you would like to use. You have the following choices:
• Core Word Vocabulary
• Basic Communication Vocabulary
• Previous vocabulary [only for updating over 1.x]
• Blank Vocabulary
Section 6.1 will help you understand these different vocabulary organizations and how to
select the one that best fits the person(s) you’re setting up with Proloquo2Go. Section 6.2
will show you how to use the Setup Wizard to select and initialize a vocabulary organization.
The sections that follow will give you information on further customizing each vocabulary
organization type to meet each user’s needs.
6.1. Vocabulary Organizations
A vocabulary organization is a way of organizing words and sentences in an AAC system so
that the person who uses the system to communicate can find the right words and
sentences as quickly and efficiently as possible. How vocabulary should be organized
depends on the needs of the user - their language level, what size buttons they need for
access, what kind of things they need to talk about, etc. We’ll describe the two vocabulary
organization types in Proloquo2Go, and which type of user each is best suited for.
Basic Communication
The Basic Communication vocabulary organization is designed for users who are just
beginning to use AAC to express their basic needs. These communicators often start with
requesting things, people, and activities, but may quickly need to communicate for other
reasons, like commenting on or describing things, or sharing their news. These users may
have difficulty navigating between pages in a traditional AAC vocabulary organization,
especially one with multiple levels.
The Basic Communication vocabulary allows its users to quickly and efficiently make
requests, refuse or protest, and share basic personal information. The Basic Communication
vocabulary can be configured to use 3x3, 4x4, 5x5, or 6x6 buttons on a screen. No scrolling
is required on the main page, and with a few exceptions, the navigation hierarchy is only 2
levels deep (the main page, and one level of folders that can be reached directly from the
main page.) To switch between configurations, go to Options > Appearance, and set the
number of columns to 3, 4, 5, or 6. Basic Communication will not display properly with fewer
than 3 columns or more than 6, and the number of rows must equal the number of columns.
Once you decide that the Basic Communication vocabulary is appropriate for your user, you
must select which configuration is appropriate. You can do this based on what button size
the user can access, how many buttons per screen your user can visually process, and what
kind of reasons the user wants and needs to communicate about. Remember that if your
user can handle smaller buttons, but is not ready for some of the reasons for communication
listed under a particular configuration, you can always hide the buttons that are not yet
appropriate, and unhide them later as the user progresses.
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