Communication Boards and Picture Resources

Edited 3/14/24: Added low-tech Communication Boards of AAC apps

Forbes AAC

Forbes offers Communication Boards with 6, 20, 40 icons for Pediatrics and a board directed for use in a medical setting.

Center-based Core for Symbol-Supported Learning in the Classroom

This post has always contained core boards for use at the library, or in cooking.  I thought it might be useful to have more boards focused on academics. But what core do we need for centers in the classroom?  To select words, I went to Gail Van Tatenhove’s website:  Gail Van Tatenhove

Her website is a great resource for anyone working with AAC. Her Resources folder contains core vocabulary lists, including one for academics.  I used this list as a guide to choosing “academic core vocabulary”. I have created two new core boards: one for math and one for language arts.  Feedback is welcome on how these boards could be ‘tweeked’ to better meet the needs of teachers, therapists, and learners.

Math Core

Language Arts Core

Sample Core Communication Boards

Here are some sample Core Communication and activity-based core language boards in PDF format. Print and go, or use one of the formats below to modify and make them your own. You can embed core into daily activities, such as bath time. Mount or print you board on oak tag, laminate and go!  No laminator?  Cover with clear contact paper or clear packing tape.

High Contrast Communication Board

Flip Book Fringe 1 inch page 2

Here is another version of the Core Flip Book, with slightly larger icons in a field size of 18.  Keep in mind that we want to use the smallest icons size (most icons per page) that our student/adult can access.  More icons means access to more language.

Boardmaker Format

Trial Version Download: http://www.mayer-johnson.com/downloads/trials/

Boardmaker Share
A materials exchange area sponsored by Mayer-Johnson. There are TONS of great communication boards, visual supports, interactive activities, etc.

Library Communication Boards – NJSHA

The New Jersey Speech-Language Hearing Association offers downloads of Pediatric and Adult communication boards for the library.

CALL Centre for Environmental Studies
This site has sets of BoardMaker topic boards, each with 8 symbol locations, and each filled with core vocabulary relating to common themes and topics

.pdf Format

Speaking of Speech
Speaking of Speech is an interactive forum for speech/language pathologists and teachers. It includes a materials exchange where you will find a section dedicated to Augmentative Communication.

Wigit Software Activity Packs
There are a few boards that are listed for basic vocabulary, feelings and emotions. Look for the Adobe .pdf icon for the free stuff or consider purchasing their software for access to all of their other great free activities.

Cue Cards in Community Languages
Cue Cards is a new resource developed by Eastern Health Transcultural Services to assist health professionals and clients / carers who primarily have English language difficulties, or problems communicating with each other.

Other Formats and Create Your Own

Fluent AAC

Choose from four avatars and four size options to create your own communication board. Communication boards include both core and fringe vocabulary with categories for food, actions, questions etc.  Downloadable as a PDF.

SEN Teacher
This site includes a free resource for creating low-tech communication board, as well as a list of other downloadable aided language displays.

Do2Learn
Black and white picture cards are provided to help you make your own schedules, story strips and talking back cards. They can be printed as full-size coloring pages, in two-inch sizes with or without words, and in one-inch sizes with or without words. Printed and cut out, these can be used singly or grouped together.

Connectability.ca
Visuals can be presented in several formats, depending on your child’s level of understanding. When creating your communication display or board, you can select from photographs, Mayer-Johnson icons or import your own images. The boards can be saved as a .pdf or printed immediately.

Picto-selector
Picto-selector is a Windows application written for easy selection and printing of Pictos. The Pictos come from the website Sclera.be, Straight-Street.com and ARASAAC and have a Dutch, English, French and Spanish translation. The application itself also supports those languages.

AAC App Specific Communication boards

It can be helpful to have low tech copies of an AAC app on a high tech communication device. Major AAC companies often have free low tech versions on their website to print and have available when a high tech device isn’t available, has issues or otherwise.

Talk To Me Technologies

Talk To Me Technologies offers free downloads of several communication boards with their pagesets including: Holiday-themed boards; medical communication boards; and seasonal communication boards. They also have coloring pages, lesson plans, and social stories available for download.

Proloquo2go

Low-tech options for  Core Boards and Quick Communication boards.

Eye-gaze Systems

Cogain Eye-gaze communication board
Gaze Communication Board or Eye Communication Frame is a cheap, fast, easy-to-use eye communication method. There are several options that can be bought from stores that sell communication aids and assistive technology, such as the “E-tran (eye transfer) frame.” This site has a thorough description of how to recreate this eye-gaze system and includes pictures and diagrams.

CALL Centre Handout: Eye Pointing and Using an Etran Frame

Color-coding Systems

Using color-coding for the background of icons or line drawings (e.g., Mayer Johnson picture communication symbols) allows the user and facilitator to locate symbols more easily. If color-coding is organized according to grammatical categories, the user has an added feature to assist in learning how to sequence symbols, and in turn, to support the development of sentence-building or syntax skills

Fitzgerald Key (seen on several high-tech communication devices, apps on tablets and autism community) was originally designed to teach deaf children to sequence sentences according to traditional spoken English word order.

Word categories are colored to correspond with the Fitzgerald Key (Fitzgerald, 1954) format – People = yellow; Verbs = green; Little Words = pink; Words That Tell About = blue; Things and Foods = orange; and Places = purple. Word morphology buttons are colored to match the part of speech with which they are typically associated. For example, the possessive noun command button is colored yellow, as it is used with people. The Noun Plural command button is orange, as it is typically used with things.

Goosens’, Craine and Elders Color-coding System is also used by many well-known AAC professionals, additional information can be found at www.aacintervention.com