LA PLATA — On a growing number of Charles County elementary school playgrounds, a child who can’t easily say “Can I play?” can now point to it.
Charles County Public Schools is installing core word boards, large printed communication boards, on its elementary school playgrounds, the school system said in an Oct. 16 article. Students point to words on the boards to communicate, and the boards hold the words that make up about 80% of typical daily conversation.
Special education staff and the district’s adaptive technology teams have used similar boards for years with students who are nonverbal or minimally verbal. Putting them on playgrounds makes them available to everyone, and the school system said almost all students benefit.
Jennifer Fitzpatrick, a CCPS speech-language pathologist and assistive technology professional, called the boards “a universal support that can benefit all students.”
Why recess
Recess is one of the most talk-heavy parts of a school day. “It requires students to communicate constantly,” said Heinmiller, who trains staff on the boards with Fitzpatrick. “To take turns, ask for help, solve problems, make choices, interact with peers and follow safety expectations.”
The boards look like an oversized bingo card with color-coded boxes:
- Purple for question words such as what, when and where
- Green for verbs such as feel, listen and hurt
- Yellow for pronouns such as me, my and your
Staff also carry pocket-size versions of the boards on their badge lanyards.
Every elementary school by spring
The playground boards were piloted last school year at F.B. Gwynn Educational Center, Dr. Thomas L. Higdon Elementary, Malcolm Elementary and Eva Turner Elementary. They were donated by Kerry Carter, a SOAR teacher at Malcolm Elementary. Fitzpatrick estimates every CCPS elementary school will have one by the end of the school year.
October is Augmentative and Alternative Communication Awareness Month. Assistive technology ranges from high-tech devices to simple printed tools, and a core word board is about as low-tech as it gets. Fitzpatrick said the boards represent something bigger: “an opportunity for every student to have a voice.”
Charles County Public Schools serves 27,904 students in prekindergarten through 12th grade at 38 schools.
