A first communication board in one evening

A communication board is a sheet of pictures or symbols your child chooses from to say something. Unlike single cards, a board shows all its words at once, so your child can put them together: "more juice", "don't want". You can make a first board in one evening. And it really helps if you "talk" on it yourself.

What you'll need

• An A4 sheet or a piece of stiff card.
• Pictures: photos of your own things, symbols, or hand-drawn pictures.
• Glue, scissors and a marker for the labels.
• A laminator, a plastic sleeve or wide clear tape, so the board doesn't mind water.

You can also build the board in an AAC app with voice output on a tablet — then, when a picture is touched, the app says the word aloud.

Step by step

1. Pick one activity. Something that happens every day and that your child enjoys: breakfast, bubbles, bath time, playing with cars.
2. Write down what you say during it. Not only the names of things, but words that work anywhere: "more", "stop", "help", "not", "my turn", "uh-oh".
3. Choose 6–12 pictures. Make roughly half of them names of things and half these "working" words.
4. Lay them out in rows. Write a short word under each picture. Put words that will be on every board ("more", "stop", "not") in the same spot each time.
5. Make it sturdy. Laminate it or slip it into a plastic sleeve.
6. Start using it the next day. Yourself first, with no demands on your child.

How many pictures?

There's no right number. For a first board about one activity, 6–12 pictures is often enough — that way each one is easy to see. Some families start straight away with a bigger ready-made board of everyday words. Watch your child: if they hit the pictures easily, you can make them smaller and add more. If they often miss, use fewer, bigger ones. Our guide "10 words to start with" covers the words worth having on every board.

Where to keep it

Where the activity happens, and always within reach of both your child and you. The mealtime board sits on the table, the bath board on the edge of the bath, the play board on the floor next to the game. If your child throws it, tape it to the table. Don't put it away in a cupboard "until therapy": the board is needed exactly when your child has something to say.

How to "talk" on it

Talk as you normally would and touch one or two key words: "Oh, it popped! More?" — and you touch "more". Then wait a few seconds. If your child touches any picture, say the word and respond as if they'd said it out loud. There's more in "Show it yourself: how to model AAC".

Questions parents ask

Photos or symbols?

Children often recognise photos of their own things faster. Symbols are handier for words you can't photograph: "more", "not", "stop", "help". One board can have both.

Paper or tablet?

Both. A laminated board doesn't mind water, and paper never needs batteries. A tablet speaks the words aloud and holds many boards. It's good to keep a paper copy of your main board just in case.

My child won't look at the board. What now?

Keep showing it yourself, with no demands. Check that the board is about something your child really cares about and that it's easy to reach. Your child needs to see others use it many times.

When should I make a second board?

Once you're using the first one every day. Pick the next activity and put the shared words in the same places as on the first board.

Series “AAC: first steps” — part 5 of 8. Previous: How a child picks a picture: touch, switch, eye gaze. Next: 10 words to start with. All parts.