A communication board is one of the simplest and most effective AAC tools you can create. Whether you're building a physical board to laminate or setting up a digital layout in an app like SabiKo, the principles are the same. If you're weighing a physical board against a digital app, our overview of picture communication apps explains how the app-based approach works and what to look for. This guide walks you through every step.
Why Build a Communication Board?
Communication boards work because they're visual, consistent, and always available. A well-designed board gives your child a way to:
- Make requests ("want," "more," "help")
- Comment on what they see ("look," "big," "funny")
- Answer questions ("yes," "no," "I don't know")
- Express feelings ("happy," "sad," "mad," "scared")
- Control their environment ("stop," "go," "all done")
You don't need to be a therapist to build one. You just need to understand a few key principles.
Step 1: Start with Core Words
This is the most important decision you'll make. The words you choose for your child's board determine how much they can say.
Most parents instinctively fill the board with nouns: cookie, juice, ball, iPad. But research consistently shows that core vocabulary is far more powerful. (See why core words matter for a deeper look.) Core words are high-frequency words that work across many situations. Nouns (sometimes called fringe vocabulary) are specific to one context.
Banajee, DiCarlo, and Stricklin (2003) studied the vocabulary used by toddlers in everyday interactions and found that a small set of core words accounted for the vast majority of communication. Baker, Hill, and Devylder (2000) found that core vocabulary remains consistent across environments, meaning these words are useful at home, school, the park, and everywhere else.
Here's a starter set of core words to prioritize:
| Category | Words |
|---|---|
| Requests | want, more, help, please |
| Protests | stop, no, don't, all done |
| Actions | go, look, put, get, make, play |
| Descriptions | big, little, good, yucky, fast, slow |
| Social | hi, bye, thank you, my turn, your turn |
| Questions | what, where, who |
| Pronouns | I, you, my, that, it |
| Responses | yes, no, I don't know |
Step 2: Choose Your Grid Size
Grid size refers to how many symbols appear on the screen or board at once. The right size depends on your child's age, motor skills, and visual processing ability.
| Grid size | Best for | Number of cells |
|---|---|---|
| 2x2 | Very young children (under 2) or those new to AAC | 4 |
| 3x3 | Toddlers and early AAC users | 9 |
| 4x4 | Preschool-age children with some AAC experience | 16 |
| 5x5 | School-age children building fluency | 25 |
| 6x6 | Experienced users with strong visual scanning | 36 |
| 8x10+ | Advanced users, robust language systems | 80+ |
Start smaller than you think you need to. A 3x3 grid that your child actually uses is better than a 6x6 grid that overwhelms them. You can always increase the grid size as their skills grow.
SabiKo lets you switch between grid sizes easily, so you don't have to commit to one layout forever.
Step 3: Select Your Symbols
Symbols are the visual representations on each button. You have several options:
Photos
Real photographs of objects, people, and places. Photos are concrete and easy to understand for beginners. They work especially well for nouns (a photo of your child's actual cup, their actual dog).
The downside: photos are harder to use for abstract words. What does "more" look like as a photo?
Line drawings (PCS, SymbolStix, ARASAAC)
Standardized symbol sets like PCS (Picture Communication Symbols), SymbolStix, and ARASAAC use simple, consistent drawings. These are the most common choice for AAC boards because they:
- Cover both concrete and abstract words
- Are consistent in style, which helps with recognition
- Are widely recognized across schools and therapy settings
ARASAAC symbols are free and open-source, making them accessible to all families.
Text only
For children who are beginning to read or for communication partners who will be using the board alongside the child, text labels on each button can work. Many boards combine symbols with text so the child sees the picture and the communication partner sees the word.
Mixed approach
Most effective boards use a combination. Core words might use standardized symbols, while personal nouns (family members, favorite toys) use photos. SabiKo supports both photos and symbols, so you can mix and match.
Step 4: Organize Your Layout
How you arrange words on the board matters more than you might expect. A consistent, logical layout helps your child build motor memory. Over time, they'll know exactly where to find each word without searching.
The Fitzgerald Key color coding system
Many AAC professionals use a color-coding system based on word type. This is called the Fitzgerald Key (or a modified version of it). Color coding helps the user visually categorize words:
| Color | Word type | Examples |
|---|---|---|
| Yellow | People/pronouns | I, you, he, she, my |
| Green | Actions/verbs | go, want, play, eat, help |
| Blue | Descriptions/adjectives | big, little, happy, sad, hot |
| Orange | Nouns | ball, car, water, book, food |
| Pink | Social/expressions | hi, bye, please, thank you |
| Purple | Questions | what, where, when, who |
| White/Gray | Miscellaneous | yes, no, more, stop, all done |
You don't have to follow this system exactly, but some form of consistent color coding helps. It gives visual structure to the board and helps communication partners model more effectively because they can scan by color.
Keep high-frequency words in consistent positions
The words your child uses most should always be in the same place. When "more" is always in the top-left corner, your child develops muscle memory. They can find it without thinking, which speeds up communication.
If you're building a physical board, resist the urge to rearrange. On a digital app, lock your core layout and only change the fringe vocabulary pages.
Group related words together
Action words near each other. Feelings near each other. Food vocabulary on a food page. This reduces the cognitive load of finding the right word.
Step 5: Build a Starter Board
Here's a practical starter layout for a 4x4 (16-cell) board that covers the essentials:
| Column 1 | Column 2 | Column 3 | Column 4 |
|---|---|---|---|
| I (yellow) | want (green) | more (white) | help (green) |
| you (yellow) | go (green) | stop (white) | all done (white) |
| like (green) | play (green) | yes (white) | no (white) |
| look (green) | that (yellow) | big (blue) | [food page] (orange) |
The bottom-right cell links to a second page with food-specific vocabulary (fringe nouns). You can create additional pages for toys, people, places, and activities as your child's vocabulary grows.
This layout prioritizes:
- Pronouns on the left (I, you) so the child can start sentences
- Verbs in the center (want, go, like, play) for action
- Function words on the right (more, stop, yes, no) for control
- A navigation button for expanding into topic-specific vocabulary
Step 6: Make It Durable and Accessible
For physical boards
- Laminate everything. Toddlers are hard on materials. A laminated board with Velcro-attached symbols can survive food, drool, and being thrown across the room.
- Make multiple copies. Keep one at the high chair, one in the car, one in the diaper bag. Boards that aren't available don't get used.
- Size appropriately. A board for the high chair can be small (letter-size). A board for the wall should be larger so it's visible from across the room.
For digital boards in SabiKo
- Set up the home page with core vocabulary using the starter layout above
- Create topic pages (food, toys, people, places) accessible from the home page
- Adjust grid size to match your child's current ability
- Add personal vocabulary with photos of your child's actual items and people
- Enable speech output so every tap produces clear audio
Step 7: Model, Model, Model
Building the board is the easy part. Using it is where the real work happens.
Modeling means using the board yourself during natural interactions. When you say "want banana?" you also tap "want" on the board. When you say "time to go!" you tap "go." You're showing your child that the symbols have meaning and power.
Research by Binger and Light (2007) found that aided language modeling by communication partners significantly increased children's use of multi-symbol messages. The more you model, the more your child learns.
Rules for effective modeling:
- Model during at least 3 daily routines (meals, play, bath, books)
- Don't require your child to use it. Model without expectation.
- Keep it natural. You don't need to tap every word. Hit the key word or two per sentence.
- Respond to any attempt. If your child touches a symbol, honor it as communication.
- Be patient. It takes weeks to months of modeling before most children begin using the board independently.
Step 8: Revise and Grow
Your first board is a draft. After 2 to 4 weeks of consistent use, ask yourself:
- Which words is my child using or looking at most?
- Which words am I modeling most?
- What's missing? Are there things my child is trying to communicate that aren't on the board?
- Is the grid size appropriate, or does my child need fewer (or more) options?
Adjust based on what you observe. Add words your child needs. Remove words that never get used. Change the grid size if it's too small or too large.
AAC vocabulary should grow with your child. A board that looks the same six months from now isn't keeping up.
You Don't Have to Start from Scratch
If building a board from nothing feels overwhelming, SabiKo comes with pre-built boards based on core vocabulary research. You can use them as-is or customize them to fit your child's specific needs. It's a faster way to get a research-backed board into your child's hands.
Download SabiKo free and start communicating today.
References
- Banajee, M., DiCarlo, C., & Stricklin, S.B. (2003). Core vocabulary determination for toddlers. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 19(2), 67-73.
- Baker, B., Hill, K., & Devylder, R. (2000). Core vocabulary is the same across environments. Paper presented at the Technology and Persons with Disabilities Conference, California State University, Northridge.
- Binger, C., & Light, J. (2007). The effect of aided AAC modeling on the expression of multi-symbol messages by preschoolers who use AAC. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 23(1), 30-43.