A letter board may refer to two devices.

Marquee

A letter board or letter sign, also known as marquee, is a

customizable Personalization (broadly known as customization) consists of tailoring a service or a product to accommodate specific individuals, sometimes tied to groups or segments of individuals. A wide variety of organizations use personalization to improv ...

form of

signage Signage is the design or use of signs and symbols to communicate a message. A signage also means signs ''collectively'' or being considered as a group. The term ''signage'' is documented to have been popularized in 1975 to 1980. Signs are any ...

that employs individually movable letters of the alphabet. They are used by, ''e.g.'',

movie theater A movie theater (American English), cinema (British English), or cinema hall (Indian English), also known as a movie house, picture house, the movies, the pictures, picture theater, the silver screen, the big screen, or simply theater is a ...

s to list the current roster of films, churches to display the titles of

sermon A sermon is a religious discourse or oration by a preacher, usually a member of clergy. Sermons address a scriptural, theological, or moral topic, usually expounding on a type of belief, law, or behavior within both past and present contexts. E ...

s, and other buildings, people, and institutions whose signs are required to change on a regular basis.

Communication Board

A letter board, or communication board, refers to a device used to supplement verbal communication. Communication boards can be as basic as letters of the alphabet or contain extensive options of words, phrases, pictures, and symbols of common items or actions. These boards are multimodal and may be digital or analog. Individuals with speech and language impairments or non-verbal communicators may use communication boards depending on their degree of gross motor skills. Augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) aids are utilized by individuals who experience congenital disabilities, such as

autism spectrum disorder The autism spectrum, often referred to as just autism or in the context of a professional diagnosis autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or autism spectrum condition (ASC), is a neurodevelopmental condition (or conditions) characterized by difficulti ...

cerebral palsy Cerebral palsy (CP) is a group of movement disorders that appear in early childhood. Signs and symptoms vary among people and over time, but include poor coordination, spasticity, stiff muscles, Paresis, weak muscles, and tremors. There may be p ...

, developmental disabilities, intellectual disabilities, developmental apraxia of speech and

genetic disorder A genetic disorder is a health problem caused by one or more abnormalities in the genome. It can be caused by a mutation in a single gene (monogenic) or multiple genes (polygenic) or by a chromosomal abnormality. Although polygenic disorde ...

s, and acquired disabilities, including

amyotrophic lateral sclerosis Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most comm ...

, cerebrovascular disease, glossectomy, laryngectomy, primary progressive aphasia,

supranuclear palsy Progressive supranuclear palsy (PSP) is a late-onset degenerative disease involving the gradual deterioration and death of specific volumes of the brain. The condition leads to symptoms including loss of balance, slowing of movement, difficulty ...

, and traumatic brain injuries.

Forms of Communication Aid

AAC can be divided into different categories, but are most commonly categorized as unaided or aided. These forms of communication can also be analog or digital.

Unaided

Unaided forms of augmented communication do not require any external tools or aid to communicate. This form of AAC requires fine motor skills. When a person uses unaided AAC they are relying solely on their body to communicate. These are non-technological forms of expression, such as facial expressions, body language, and facial gestures.

Sign language Sign languages (also known as signed languages) are languages that use the visual-manual modality to convey meaning, instead of spoken words. Sign languages are expressed through manual articulation in combination with non-manual markers. Sign l ...

is the primary example of unaided AAC.

Aided

Aided forms of augmented communication require some external tools or aid in order to communicate, either analog or digital.

Digital Communication Aid

Digital or high-tech communication devices come in a variety of forms. With the rise of technology, more applications are being produced to assist individuals in need of AAC. Speech generating devices (SGD) are among the most popular variation of high-tech communication devices. AAC and SGD software allow different forms of synthesized and digitized speech to be used through voice or message banking. Such applications are available on smartphones, tablets, and computers. Other high-tech AAC works as a grid of buttons that can be utilized by gazing or controlled by a mouse that has pre-recorded messages installed to supplement spoken word.

Analog Communication Aid

Analog or low-tech communication devices are common among children with

who are non-verbal. These communication aids can be as simple as a yes/no board or a laminated piece of paper with the alphabet or pictures. Most boards are used by pointing, gesturing, or gazing at the intended symbol, word or phrase. Some require the person to spell out words. Other forms include books, photographs, writing and objects.

Notes

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