Core words
The words reused in every sentence: I, want, help, more, stop. The board to start with.
Open the core board →Nonspeaking & minimally speaking autistic people, any age
Communication board for autism
A free communication board for autistic people who are nonspeaking or minimally speaking. It leads with core words, the ones reused in every sentence, and adds what most boards leave out: too loud, break, all done, my way, leave me alone. Print it, or tap it here and let the device speak.
FreeNo sign-upFree to copy and share
Tap words to build a sentence. Each word is spoken as you tap.
For autism communication board
Use it here, or press Print this board for a clean one-page copy. Printing works to PDF from any browser.
Using this board well
Core words first, not nouns
The instinct is to fill a board with pictures of objects. But want, more, stop, help and go are what get reused in every sentence, while a picture of a banana is useful once a day. Core words are roughly 80 percent of everyday communication.
Model it without demanding a response
Point to words on the board while you speak, and expect nothing back. People learn a board by watching it used, the same way speech is learned by hearing it long before it is produced. This is the single highest-leverage thing a parent can do.
Do not quiz, and do not withhold
Asking someone to point to the red square teaches compliance, not communication. Making them request a thing they can already reach teaches that communication is a toll. Ask real questions you do not know the answer to.
Sensory and refusal words are not optional
Boards that can request a snack but cannot say too loud, no, or leave me alone leave the person able to comply and unable to object. Distress is often just a message with no button for it.
Never take the board away
A board is not a privilege and it is not a reward. Removing it as a consequence removes the person's voice, which is not a behaviour plan, it is a silencing.
Common questions
What is a communication board for autism?
A board of words and symbols an autistic person points to or taps in order to say what they mean. It is used by people who are nonspeaking or minimally speaking, and by people whose speech is unreliable under stress. It carries their words; it does not decide what they say.
Does a communication board stop a child from learning to speak?
No. This is the fear families raise first and the evidence does not support it. Reviews of the research have consistently found that AAC does not inhibit speech development, and that speech gains often accompany AAC use rather than being displaced by it. Waiting costs a child time they could have spent communicating.
What age should you start?
There is no prerequisite to meet and no minimum age. If speech is not reliably getting a child understood, that is the whole threshold. There is no skill to demonstrate first, and readiness testing is not supported by the evidence.
Is a communication board the same as PECS?
No. PECS is a specific structured programme where a person hands over a picture card to make a request, taught in phases. A communication board is just a board of words someone points to, with no programme attached, and it is not limited to requesting.
Other free boards
Hospital communication board
Intubated & ventilated · ICU · Post-stroke · ALS · Post-surgery
Open this board →Communication board for adults
Aphasia · Stroke · ALS · Cerebral palsy · Head injury
Open this board →A printed board cannot speak
SayHarbor is an AAC app that speaks aloud, fully offline, and comes with you. Speech is never behind a paywall. It is coming to iPhone and iPad. In the meantime, see the AAC apps that are free today.