Tips for Using Picture Symbols* with Your Child
*Picture symbols can include photos, line drawings, facsimiles (candy wrapper,
picture from toy package) or BoardMaker pictures.
Tip
Wait
Choose
Expand
Accept
Comments
Give your child time to communicate. Don’t
keep restating the same question. Provide
your child time to process the information
and think of what they want to say.
Offer many choice making opportunities
throughout your child’s day. As soon as a
choice is made it should be provided to the
child to reinforce their communication. If
the choice is not available, explain that to
the child.
Expand your child’s responses.
If your child uses gestures or vocalizations
to communicate you can model pointing to a
picture to communicate the same idea.
If your child says/points to mostly single
words to respond, you can provide a more
complex model (ex. Child says/points to: “car”
Parent can say/point to “I - want - car.”)
Accept any mode of communication your
child uses and don’t make your child use
symbols for things they can already
communicate by other means. Using gestures,
leading an adult to what they want, etc. are
all ways of communicating.
Marcia Sterner, Orange County Public Schools AT Team
Use Symbols
Point to symbols when you communicate with
your child to provide them with a model. This
validates their way of communicating.
String
Have your child “string” symbols together to
communicate a phrase or sentence.
Encourage, but don’t require, good language
structure.
I
want a
drink.
(noun)
(verb)
(object)
Vocabulary
Choose vocabulary that your child will want
to communicate with. Think about what is
motivating for your child.
Organize
Organize pictures/vocabulary according to
activities ex. Reading a book, playing a game,
bath time, having a snack, etc.
Good Job
Use descriptive feedback instead of generic
praise (“good talking”, “nice job”). If your
child communicates that they want to watch
a video, tell them “OK, let’s go watch a
video.” This validates that their message was
understood.
Marcia Sterner, Orange County Public Schools AT Team
No Talking
Use of picture symbols will not prevent your
child from talking. It has actually been shown
to encourage talking as children learn the
“power” of communication.
Read
Read to your child everyday. Provide your
child with a selection of books to choose
from. As you read, point to pictures in the
book. After you have read the story ask your
child questions about the story and have
them point to pictures as they talk.
+This handout was created using BoardMaker software from Mayer-Johnson, Inc. for more information
go to: www.mayer-johnson.com
Marcia Sterner, Orange County Public Schools AT Team