Symbolic Communication

This tool does not replace the full booklet or a professional's judgment. It is a starting point for any team member: SLP, teacher, para, or family.

A symbol isn't only a picture. It's anything used to stand for something else: an object (hands you an empty cup to ask for a drink), a photo, a gesture like a mime, a formal sign (a specific hand shape with one agreed-upon meaning, like an ASL sign, for example tapping fingertips together for "more"), a spoken word or approximation, or a selection on an AAC device (Augmentative and Alternative Communication, a tablet or dedicated speech device with picture buttons that speak the word aloud when touched, for example touching the "juice" button). All of these count equally.