How to Use Pictures for Communication Board Success
What is a visual communication board?
A visual communication board contains a group of pictures labeled with words. People use pictures for communication boards to express their wants and needs. Pictures for communication boards are typically displayed on one page in a colorful layout organized in a manner meaningful to the user. Visual communication boards are simple but mighty low tech communication items.
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How do I make a picture board for communication?
For any activity that requires pictures, I always use Mayer-Johnson’s Boardmaker. This program has easy to understand pictures matched with words. The symbols then create communication tools for individuals with special needs. When I need any pictures for communication board set ups, I will always use Boardmaker symbols.
To make a picture board for communication, I first identify what needs I’m focusing on. As a special education teacher I’ve had multiple sheets of communication boards in my classroom. These are grouped by nouns, verbs, special interests, and so on.
Many of my students are picture exchange communication users. Through the hard work of our speech and language pathologist, most of my students opt for their PECS books over a communication board. My staff reinforce this in my classroom daily.
But I noticed that in times of crisis, my students wouldn’t pick up their communication books. And if they did, they might be chucking them at me.
Like the rest of us when we’re angry, individuals with autism often have drops in communication and expressing needs during a meltdown.
So, that’s when I grab the communication board. Instead of multiple pages within the PECS book, the student now only has one page to look at to tell me their wants and needs.
But the problem turned into a student not having all of the tools that they needed during a crisis time.
To be clear, I am NOT suggesting that a student ever has their communication book removed from them. Or if they are using a voice output device, this should also not be removed. My point is that during a moment of crisis, a simpler form of communication is often more successful for my students with autism.
Printable Communication Boards
So, I started experimenting to see if I could make a behavior based crisis intervention type of form to help my students communicate.
Now, if you’ve ever been a teacher of students with exceptional needs you are aware there is no magic wand. There is no single visual that is going to bring a child back into their zone safe and sound. There are tools that will help with the situation and there are tools that will make it worse.
I often find that time, along with low to no interaction, is the best tool. And, yes, this includes low to no speaking.
However, it’s a supplement. I first started with simple large circles that have yes, no, I don’t know, and maybe on them. This allows the students to easily point to indicate their answer.
I ask a student in crisis a question of, “Are you ready to talk?” Almost always the first circle that they touch is, “No.”
I let them know that that is fine. Then, I state that I am going to walk to the other side of the room and I will ask them later if they are ready. Also, I tell them that if they’re ready before I ask them again to please come over to me.
Depending on the student, I might wait five to ten minutes, and then ask again.
The beauty of this special communication board is that I told the students that they’re in control.
As long as they are safe then I’m okay with them not communicating with me. The pictures for communication board gives them precious gift of time for relaxing.
Picture Communication Board for Autism
I use a pictures for communication board for autism set that is truly for all students. Pictures for communication board shouldn’t just be used for those who have difficulty verbalizing their wants and needs.
Students with social emotional learning needs also need this support. The pictures for communication boards are introduced, taught, and actively used for them. The same things applies to many of the students I have had with emotional disabilities.
So when working with individuals with autism one of my primary goals is to help those students regulate their sensory needs. First, I created the simple boards with yes, no, I don’t know, and maybe. Then, I realized that I needed some more boards to be able to teach the kids valuable skills.
So, I created an overall wants and needs board. Students can use this to identify what they need right then. Can I get them a drink? Would they do best with a break in a sensory room right now?
I started compiling a list of all of these common items and formatted it after my super simple yes – no page.
This sheet is on standby for me to grab whenever someone needs it. Sometimes I can use this page to stop a meltdown before it happens. My inclusion students have copies of these either on the walls, in a binder, or at the student’s desk in their classrooms.
I teach these communication boards during a calm scheduled time.
At tantrum is not the time to teach a brand-new visual.
My students and I practice using these pictures for communication boards well before it’s put out for every day use. Multiple teaching moments increase the likelihood of the communication boards being successful. Teaching and reteaching is vital to the success of any tool for all students.
Communication Board Examples
In my classroom, pictures for communication boards are found in numerous places. As I said earlier, most of my students have a PECS board but many of them have a communication board slipped into their cubby area or at their desk.
I recommend putting communication boards in common areas for anyone to use.
Although I am a fluent speaker, I will use communication boards to model to my students. I find this to be a viable teaching tool and it takes away any possible negative undertones in regards to using a board to express yourself.
Using my group times, body regulation is practiced with a variety of strategies. These pictures for communication boards are a visual reminder of the different strategies we can use to relax.
Different strategies work for different students, so I make sure to teach and practice multiple techniques. One simple communication board for this keeps everyone in my classroom grounded.
Playground communication board
As the world becomes more in tune to individuals with special needs including those with autism and expressive language disorders, more visuals are showing up in necessary areas. One area is the playground. I see large signs for communication in a lot of public parks and school playgrounds these days.
There’s only one problem with this. They can be quite expensive. Since I don’t have a playground communication board where my students play, I take my own. I print it off, put it on a clipboard, and have it available.
For a more permanent option, I also slip these into gallon plastic bags with the zipper closure facing down towards the ground and clip them onto a fence. While this version won’t last as long as as one of the commercially printed boards, it’s still a good way for functional communication to take place.
To create your own for the playground, I would absolutely recommend a simple yes – no board and playground specific words. Just like when making visual schedules for a student, I don’t typically get the right schedule for the right student the first time. I know that communication boards might need to be revised a few times for a specific user to fully engage with them.
Communication Board for Hospital
I cannot express the importance of a communication board for hospital settings. Whether the individual has used a board before or not these are vital for communication and to help someone get well again.
My dad was recently in the hospital and lost his ability to verbally communicate. I was not deferred because I am a special education teacher. I started off with some of the communication boards that I’ve used for my students. When he refused to use them, I continued to present them and modeled myself using them.
He did have some verbal abilities and we were able to make out certain words here or there. I used those words and modified the communication board by adding the specific people and nouns he was talking about to it. And it worked. He started using the board when he realized it was functional.
The look of relief that appeared on his face when he knew that we understood what he was trying to tell us was clear. Once he realized that this paper full of pictures could help him “talk” to us, it became an active form of communication for him.
Now, to be clear, the hospital had printed and ready-to-be used pictures for communication boards. But I felt that all of the pictures for communication board sets were missing key things.
I was shocked of how few had feelings words. They had words like “doctor,” “bathroom,” “pain,” and “I want,” but no “I’m feeling sad,” or “I’m feeling scared,” or “What is happening?” I will always make sure that those I am trying to help know that their feelings are important and they can talk to me about them. I encourage you to do the same thing.
Simple Picture Communication Board
Even though a simple picture communication board might seem, well, simple, I highly recommend using them. Communication is so important and any tool that helps us let others know our thoughts, feelings, needs, and wants can be invaluable. Find a good set of pictures for communication board and help those around you express themselves!
