Communication, one of the more significant challenges facing people living with autism, often limits their opportunities to express themselves and understand others. Communication boards, used effectively, are augmentative or alternative communication (AAC) devices that can support one of the key difficulties faced by autistic people.
What is a communication board?
Communication boards could cut down on some of the difficulties that arise when a nonverbal verbal person struggles to communicate with someone who uses spoken language can be difficult. C by providing simple, recognizable images and symbols to help people understand one another.
By displaying photos, symbols, or illustrations to help those with limited language skills express themselves, a communication board user can gesture, point to, or blink at images to communicate with others.
People living with autism can use communication boards to:
- Ask questions
- Convey a simple message, like “I need the bathroom,” or concerns like “I feel unwell” or “I’m distressed,” that are sometimes hard to communicate.
- Display a structure or schedule.
- Offer choices
Communication boards can increase autonomy by letting users make decisions about their own lives and helping them express their immediate needs and preferences.
At the same time, they help them communicate their needs to others more effectively.
Communication boards are also a way to learn and practice more advanced communication skills. At the same time, the users also improve their receptive language skills.
Two of the biggest benefits of communication boards are:
- They keep users safe by giving them a way to tell others what is happening in their world.
- Communication boards can reduce anxiety when used, for example, in social situations, as they provide a more structured and predictable way to communicate.
Communication Boards And Autism
Even though Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) affects each child differently- whether it’s delayed speech, nonverbal, or difficulty gesturing and maintaining eye contact, all autistic people can benefit from early attention and intervention in language development.
Because they use symbols as opposed to words at a stage when spoken vocabulary may not yet exist, communication boards are an especially handy tool oriented toward practical needs and social interactions.
Users learn functional language on a communication board, helping them meet their physical and emotional needs rather than learning words and sentences in a vacuum.
By allowing children to initiate conversations without waiting for adults to direct them, communication boards give autistic children the space to become more independent.
Download Communication Boards
- My Communicaiton Book
- Communication Board
- “I Want…” Communication Board
- “I am…” Communication Board
- “I Have a Question” Communication Board
- “I Need Help” Communication Board
- Bathing Communication Board
Tips For Using A Communication Board For People With ASD
Communication boards can empower users to advocate for their own needs and preferences in various settings. To use a communication board effectively:
- Let the user choose how to communicate whenever it’s possible.
- Create communication boards with the person who will be using them. This will help them see the board as a way to connect with you.
- Take the needs of everyone who will be using the device into account. If those around them, for example, family members, are frustrated by the format, the board may be cast aside, leaving the ASD person without a good alternative.
- Experiment with different types of graphics. People respond differently to various media. Some respond better to symbols, while others find it easier to interact by using photographs of real objects and real people.
- Integrate the communication board organically by incorporating the board and using daily activities as teachable moments.
- Tailor the vocabulary to the child’s skill level, using their comfort level, whether it’s single words or two-word phrases, as this encourages development.
- When the communication board is for a child, blend it into playtime so it’s associated with fun.
Communication Boards For People With Autism
Communication boards are devices that let people with limited language skills express their needs, preferences, and decisions by selecting images that represent words.
They can be simple, handmade boards or more technologically inclined tools like apps or computer programs that can be used on smartphones, tablets, or laptops.
Many autistic people benefit from communication boards that help them develop better language skills, more autonomy, and positive social interactions.
Above all, a communication board bridges communication gaps and can ease the difficulties people with language limitations experience when communicating with others.
