Free

Line-Drawing AAC Boards for Daily Routines

Five boards for everyday communication, dressing, meals, play, and toileting, with a two-page caregiver guide. Each board has 30 labeled line drawings, and 18 shared words stay in the same places on every board.

What is included

  • Five boards, one per page: Everyday, Dressing, Meals, Play, and Toileting.
  • 30 labeled line drawings on every board, in six columns and five rows.
  • 18 shared words fill the top three rows and sit in the same places on all five boards. The last two rows hold words for that routine.
  • A two-page caregiver guide at the end of each PDF.
  • Four PDFs of seven pages each: US Letter and A4, each in color and low-ink.
  • Original line illustrations drawn for AutismWhispers. They are not a standardized symbol set, and some abstract symbols will need repeated modeling.

Previews

All five boards in color (US Letter), the low-ink version, and the first page of the caregiver guide.

Everyday Communication Board: six columns by five rows of line-drawing symbols with word labels. The top three rows hold the shared words I, you, want, more, help, stop, yes, no, go, finished, different, break, like, don't like, hurt, look, what, and my turn. The last two rows hold eat, drink, toilet, play, home, outside, happy, sad, tired, hot, cold, and something else.
Everyday Communication Board
Dressing Communication Board: the same shared words in the top three rows, and dressing words in the last two rows: shirt, pants, socks, shoes, on, off, arms, head, pull, zip, comfortable, and uncomfortable.
Dressing Communication Board
Meals Communication Board: the same shared words in the top three rows, and meal words in the last two rows: eat, drink, water, food, cup, spoon, hungry, full, hot, cold, yummy, and something else.
Meals Communication Board
Play Communication Board: the same shared words in the top three rows, and play words in the last two rows: ball, blocks, book, bubbles, music, draw, open, close, in, out, again, and your turn.
Play Communication Board
Toileting Communication Board: the same shared words in the top three rows, and bathroom words in the last two rows: toilet, pee, poop, wipe, wash hands, soap, water, pants, on, off, privacy, and all clean.
Toileting Communication Board
Low-ink version of the Everyday Communication Board: the same layout with outlined symbols on a plain white background, to save ink.
Low-ink version
First page of the caregiver guide, titled Using the boards together, with short sections on starting with connection, modeling without a test, respecting refusal and comfort, and using the same shared words.
Caregiver guide, first page

Printing guidance

  • Choose the PDF that matches your paper: US Letter or A4. Print landscape.
  • Print at actual size (100%).
  • Use the low-ink version for monochrome printing.
  • Keep each board intact, or enlarge it at a print shop if the cells are too small.
  • Laminate if useful, and check for sharp edges.
  • To personalize, add a separate strip or page for familiar people, favorite activities, foods, and home languages, rather than moving the shared words.
  • The toileting board belongs in a private space. Do not require toileting independence to use it.

Using the boards

  • Start with connection. Keep a board within reach during real activities, and notice communication through speech, sounds, gestures, facial expression, and pointing.
  • Model without a test. Point to one or two symbols as you speak naturally. The child does not need to copy you or select a symbol before getting help.
  • Respect refusal and comfort. Honor stop, no, break, and discomfort messages. Do not move a child's hand to choose a message.
  • Observe without scoring. Record what helped access and understanding. Do not treat correct answers as the measure of communication.
  • Work with your child's team. These boards may need personalizing with your child's AAC team. If your child already uses AAC, keep that system and use these as a supplement.
  • Clinical review. These boards has not been clinically reviewed. They are a supplemental printable resource, not a complete language system, and no device compatibility is claimed.

Who made them

Created by Chinaedu Okwumabua, an occupational therapy assistant with more than 20 years of experience supporting children with autism and developmental delays. These resources were not written by a speech-language pathologist.

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This information is for educational purposes and is not a substitute for an individualized evaluation, medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment by a qualified professional such as a speech-language pathologist or occupational therapist.