AAC Choice Boards for Children: A Family- and Clinician-Friendly Communication Tool

Introduction

Augmentative and Alternative Communication, or AAC, gives children with communication challenges another way to express their wants, needs, feelings, and ideas. For families and clinicians, AAC choice boards can be a practical, low-barrier tool that supports communication in daily routines, therapy, and learning environments.

I created this AAC Choice Boards program to make communication support more accessible, especially for families who may not have access to expensive AAC devices. It is designed for children with special needs and the adults who support them, including parents, caregivers, speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, and teachers.

What Is an AAC Choice Board?

An AAC choice board is a visual communication tool that helps a child point to words, symbols, or pictures to express themselves. These boards can support early communicators, children with autism, children with speech delays, and children who need extra help with language development.

This digital AAC Choice Boards program includes:

• 8 category tabs: Core Words, Feelings, Needs, Actions, Body, Therapy, Food & Drink, and Places.
• 12 high-contrast buttons in each category.
• Large emoji symbols for visual support.
• Bold label text for readability.
• Color-coded borders to organize categories.
• Tap animation with gold highlight feedback.
• Immediate spoken output for each tapped word.
• A sentence bar that builds full messages.
• Speak and Clear buttons for message control.

Why AAC Matters for Families and Clinicians

AAC is not only for speech therapy sessions. It can support communication throughout the entire day, including meals, play, transitions, therapy, schoolwork, and family routines. For many children, AAC reduces frustration and helps them participate more fully in daily life.

For clinicians, AAC choice boards can be a flexible support during:

• Speech-language therapy.
• Occupational therapy.
• Physical therapy.
• Early intervention.
• Classroom instruction.
• Parent coaching.

For families, AAC can make everyday communication more natural and less stressful. A child does not need to wait until they are in therapy to communicate. They can use AAC to say “more,” “help,” “all done,” “hurt,” “want,” or “stop” during real moments at home and in the community.

How This AAC Choice Board Works

This program is designed to be simple and intuitive. Children can tap a button, hear the word spoken aloud, and see the word added to the sentence bar. This allows them to build phrases gradually and connect symbols with spoken language.

The board is built to work on:

• Laptops.
• Tablets.
• iPads.
• Chrome.
• Safari.
• Edge.
• iOS.
• Android.

It can also be bookmarked to the iPad home screen, making it feel more like a dedicated app and easier to access quickly. That flexibility matters for families who want AAC available without needing specialized equipment.

Caregiver and Family Support Guide

This program also includes a caregiver guide to help adults support communication in a meaningful way. Families and clinicians can use the board more effectively when they understand how AAC works and how to model language naturally.

The caregiver guide includes:

• What AAC is.
• How to use the board.
• Core vocabulary ideas.
• Communication strategies.
• Therapy session support.
• Home practice guidance.

What AAC Is

AAC stands for Augmentative and Alternative Communication. It helps children who have difficulty speaking express themselves using pictures, symbols, text, and audio cues.

How to Use the Board

Tap a picture button to hear the word aloud. Tap several words to build a sentence, then press Speak to read the full message.

Core Vocabulary

Core words are the high-value words children use often across settings. Examples include:

• More.
• Help.
• Go.
• Stop.
• Want.
• All done.
• Wait.
• Hurt.

These words are especially useful because they can be used in many daily routines.

Communication Strategies

Clinicians and caregivers can support AAC by:

• Modeling the board while speaking.
• Waiting 5 to 10 seconds before prompting again.
• Celebrating every intentional touch.
• Using AAC during natural routines.
• Repeating words often in meaningful moments.

Modeling is especially important because children learn by seeing communication used in context. Wait time gives the child space to think, process, and respond.

AAC in Therapy Sessions

This board can be especially helpful during occupational therapy, physical therapy, speech therapy, and home therapy activities. During movement, children may need to communicate “help,” “stop,” “break,” or “hurt” quickly and clearly.

Clinicians can use the board to support:

• Choice making.
• Requesting.
• Refusing.
• Commenting.
• Labeling.
• Transition support.

Therapy sessions become more effective when AAC is available as part of the activity, not only as an add-on. When children can communicate during movement or play, they are more likely to engage and participate.

The Aquarium Visual Timer

The program also includes a 🐠 Aquarium Visual Timer to help children understand time in a friendly, visual way. As time passes, the water level slowly drains and the fish swim upward. When the timer ends, the fish celebrate.

Visual timers can help children:

• Understand transitions.
• Prepare for change.
• Stay calm during waiting.
• Complete short activities.
• Build routine awareness.

This timer can be used for:

• Transitions.
• Exercise duration.
• Break time.
• Waiting periods.
• Routine anchoring.

Families and clinicians can pair the timer with AAC language such as:

• “When the fish reach the top, it’s time to stop.”
• “When the water is gone, we are all done.”
• “First timer, then break.”

That pairing helps children connect visual time with language and expectations.

Why I Built This Beta Program

I developed this beta AAC program because not all families have access to AAC devices, especially in under-resourced or underdeveloped communities. Communication support should not be limited to those with expensive tools.

My goal is to give families and clinicians a practical AAC option that is:

• Easy to use.
• Accessible across devices.
• Helpful for home and therapy.
• Supportive of daily communication.
• Designed for children with special needs.

This project is built around the idea that every child deserves a voice, and every family deserves a tool that can help them support communication in real life.

Who This Is For

This AAC Choice Boards program is designed for:

• Children with special needs.
• Children with speech or language delays.
• Children with autism.
• Early communicators.
• Families and caregivers.
• Speech-language pathologists.
• Occupational therapists.
• Physical therapists.
• Teachers and interventionists.

It can be used across home, school, therapy, and community settings.

Conclusion

AAC choice boards can make communication more accessible, more consistent, and more meaningful for children and the adults who support them. With large buttons, clear visuals, spoken feedback, a caregiver guide, and a visual timer, this program is built to support both everyday communication and therapy-based learning.

My hope is that this beta AAC tool helps more families and clinicians bring communication support into daily life in a way that feels practical, encouraging, and inclusive.

Author

Joanna Casala OTR/L, ECHM, ATP