"Core vocabulary is a list of words that have been determined to be highly useful for communicating in both social and academic contexts. The idea of *core vocabulary is not new. A core vocabulary is comprised of the words that are used most commonly in the expressive communication (Yorkston, et al., 1988). The most significant traits of a core vocabulary are that it is relatively small in size and varies little across individuals or environments." -Karen Erickson 
*For specific research see Core Vocabulary Overview

Did you know?

  • 85% of what we say is communicated with only 200 basic words.
  • We call these our “core” words.
“Core is consistent across place, topic, cognitive ability”

Characteristics of a Core Vocabulary

  • Limited set of highly useful words
  • Words apply across settings
  • Vocabulary is made up primarily of pronouns, verbs,     descriptors, and prepositions
  • Very few nouns are included in a core vocabulary
  • Consistent location of vocabulary

Who Can Use Core Vocabulary?

  • Require supports to communicate
  • Any form of access
  • Range of language abilities


The baby and the bathwater...

"An AAC a system built exclusively of single words with only core vocabulary is not likely to meet the needs of most AAC learners. Their systems need to be balanced with three additional elements: fringe vocabulary, prestored phrases/sentences, and alphabet access. To avoid throwing the baby out with the bathwater, it’s important to realize that adding core words doesn’t mean that we take away or fail to provide access to other kinds of words".- Carol Zangari Blog post

DLM Core Vocabulary

"The DLM Core Vocabulary Project was initiated to determine the vocabulary that is necessary for students with significant cognitive disabilities to engage, learn, and demonstrate knowledge in an academic environment. Instead of identifying every possible word, the goal was to identify and prioritize the smallest set of required words." -DLM Professional Development Team at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, May 2013  
From https://aaclanguagelab.com/resources/core-vocabulary

Top 40 Core Words

dlm™-first-40-core-vocabulary.pdf
File Size: 75 kb
File Type: pdf
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Top 400 Core Words

dlm_core_top_400_plus__2_.pdf
File Size: 470 kb
File Type: pdf
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Core Vocabulary Overview

dlm_core_40_clds.jpg
File Size: 71 kb
File Type: jpg
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Slides taken from: Core vocabulary for students with significant cognitive disabilities: Essential tools, teaching strategies and assessment components. Lori Geist, PhD Karen Erickson, PhD Penny Hatch, PhD Presented at ASHA 2015
Retrieved January 17/16
Click here for complete PowerPoint 

Typical problems with typical topic boards...

Getting Started with Core
Vocabulary , Maureen Nevers, 2010