The Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) is a way for autistic people to communicate without relying on speech. To communicate, people use cards with pictures, symbols, words or photographs to ask for things, comment on things or answer questions.

Communicate In Print Symbols are used across the school to support a child’s understanding of spoken or written language.

Symbols are beneficial to use as they last longer than a spoken word and support a child to process what has been spoken or written.

Symbols can be used to support a child’s understanding of key words in short phrases, sentences and paragraphs. Think about the child’s level of understanding and the message you are trying to get across when considering what to symbolise.

Symbolising key words:

Symbolising a whole sentence using a key picture:

Aided language sheets are single pages with symbols and words related to a topic or activity. Each symbol can be matched with a single word or a short phrase. Aided language sheets support children to communicate with adults and peers in a functional way. They are used alongside spoken words to model key language to a child.

These sheets allow a child to express a variety of communication needs including:

• to share enjoyment
• to comment
• to reject
• to request
• to express emotions and opinions
• to ask questions

The number of pictures used can be changed to best suit the child.

A communication friendly environment is one that promotes and supports children’s language and communication skills. It is an umbrella term for describing key features of the environment and the way practitioners interact with children.

A communication enabling environment covers three aspects:

• The environment
• The role of the adult supporting language interactions
• Opportunities for supporting language interactions

A communication friendly classroom should make communication easy, effective, and enjoyable. This will provide support for children with speech, language and communication difficulties, enhance communication development universally, and remove barriers to communication. This in turn, will support learning, and social and emotional development.

Intensive Interaction is a type of play-based therapy which works to engage a child who may find it challenging to communicate or interact with those around them. This approach encourages the adult to follow the child’s lead and allows the child to see that their ‘voice’ is valued.

• Mirroring: Copy what the child does. This includes facial expressions, body language, body movements and sounds.
• Expanding – over time: If the child is really aware of you copying and responding well then you could expand on their play a little bit. For example, if they tapped the floor you may gently tap on your arm and see if the response changes.
• Pausing to watch ad respond: Always focus on what the child is doing and how they are reacting to what your actions. Do they look to you/ stop/ smile? Seeing their reaction can help to adapt what you are doing to maintain their interest.

PEIC-D (Promoting Early Interactive Conversations – Dorset): A structured approach to play to support the development of interaction skills such as turn taking and awareness of others. A structured, step-by-step program for young children and those with communication difficulties, particularly autism. It focuses on building fundamental interaction skills like turn-taking, imitation, and tolerance of others through play-based, sensory, and social communication interventions.

Attention Autism is an intervention approach that aims to work on the early fundamentals of language including awareness of others, attention, listening, shared attention, switching attention and turn-taking.

There are four stages which follow the typical pattern of attention development moving from fleeting attention and highly distractible to well established attention.

Limited language – Talking in a way that exposes students to the language that they need to understand and use to access the curriculum, get their needs met, and engage with their peers.

Time to process – Giving a pause for a long enough period of time following a comment or instruction to allow the child time to process what has been said and to respond.

Using their students name before speaking – Communication is individualised depending on need e.g. some students may cope with “John can you sit down please” and others may need you to say “John sit.”

Tactile Signing for Sensory Learners (TaSSeLs) is a way of supporting communication by using simple, meaningful touch cues on the body. It helps children understand key words, actions, or routines especially those who are at the earliest stages of development and may find traditional communication methods challenging. TaSSeLs provides clear, consistent signals that help students make sense of what is happening and what is about to happen.

Some of our students use eye-gaze technology, which enables them to control a screen using only their eye movements. This highly specialised assistive technology is particularly beneficial for students with significant motor impairments who are unable to access traditional input methods such as touchscreens, keyboards, or switch systems. By simply looking at symbols, words, or commands on the screen, students can make selections, communicate, and interact with learning activities in a way that promotes greater independence and engagement.

Other students use iPads equipped with augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) applications, such as TD Snap. These apps combine text and images with speech output, allowing students to construct messages that are then spoken aloud by the device. This approach supports communication development, language acquisition, and social interaction, giving students a reliable and personalised voice both in the classroom and beyond.