Communication is key to choice, control and social connection. Communication aids provide a visual way to:
- say something
- understand better
- deal with everyday activities
- manage change.
Choosing your communication aid
Conversations happen for many reasons. Your communication aid or system should support your conversation need. For example, you might use communication aids for:
Chatting with friends, family or co-workers
This is where ‘comprehensive expressive’ aids like PODD books, alphabet boards and communication boards come in. Comprehensive aids come with a range of messages represented by letters, words, photos and other symbols.
Discussing a specific situation
Communication books, boards and cards can be designed for use in specific situations, from hailing a taxi to playing your favourite board game. These are called ‘targeted expressive’ aids. They provide a limited set of messages to use for a particular purpose. Targeted aids include community request cards, choice boards and activity-specific communication boards.
Organising your daily tasks
Visual cues and reminders can help us make sense of our day, remember events, or understand tasks. They also help convey abstract information, such as time. Targeted aids include picture or object calendars, shopping lists, first-then boards, task schedules and social stories.
Showing other people how you prefer to communicate
We often communicate with different people throughout the day. Information aids contain details such as your preferred communication method, likes and dislikes, and strategies you have developed with your speech pathologist, family and friends that work well for you.
Contact us using the form below to get started on your communication journey with Scope.
View our communication aids catalogue to see the full range available.
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