Symbols for use by individuals with Autism and other cognitive and developmental disabilities. Used in special education and communication

When we began using symbols to help communicate with our daughters, we were so new to the whole thing that it sometimes seemed quite intimidating. Our consultants showed us Boardmaker by Mayer-Johnson, which is a great resource for A.A.C. users, but it is quite expensive for most families to afford. Also, we found there were so many symbols we needed which were not on the program, we needed alternate sources. We found many good and inexpensive symbol sources which are explained below. The important thing for everyone to remember is that you can begin anywhere. We started with simple line drawings and pictures and believe me, we are not artists! They did the trick however, and it got us into the mindset of trying anything we could think of. We moved on to using symbols from everywhere we could find them. Newspapers, flyers, catalogs, brochures and some inexpensive clip art programs for the computer. It is important for people to understand that you don’t need a computer to get started, just a good imagination. Below are a few examples of symbols we have used, and where we found them.

Text Box: "I just wanted to tell you that I think what you have done is wonderful.
Not only in helping your children in communicating with the world at large, but also other children and parents."
Sue Anderson - Educational Assistant - Aldergrove BC, Canada

Text Box: The Portacom System is used to help people with Autism, Autism Spectrum and related developmental disabilities. It is a communication support system for those using A.A.C. In special education and communication. People with Asperger's syndrome, fetal alcohol syndrome (F.A.S.) and other cognitive disabilities and language disorders using picture communication find this invaluable. Whether using picture exchange communication System (PECS), in special education, speech & language pathology or early intervention programs. In Applied Behavior Analysis or ABA Therapy, or IBI (Intensive Behavior Intervention) for people who have Autism or other developmental disabilities, the Portacom System can help in their support. Any non verbal communication with people with Autism, developmental disabilities and special education can benefit from this.

Text Box: Clip Art Programs We use a great program by Corel, called Print House Magic which has hundreds of thousands of symbols and photos. This program sells for less than $50 Canadian ($30 US) and is very easy to use.

Text Box: Internet We use Internet pictures all the time, especially for places in the community. Most businesses have a web site and by clicking the right mouse button and saving the image to the computer, we can print the symbol and we’re ready to go. If you have a clip art program or Boardmaker, you can use these to change the size and add text to the symbols.
Check out our resources page for more Internet symbol sites.

Text Box: Video Club Stickers We all get these offers in the mail, and while we don’t join the club, we use the stickers and images to apply pictures to our videos. This makes it easy for the kids to see what choices they have for videos at a glance. For the ones which we don’t have a sticker for, we can find them online at the video store sites, which have a picture of every video you can imagine. These also come in handy for our video choice booklet.

Text Box: Community Sources We pick up brochures from hotel lobbies, Ferry’s, Bus Depots, Train Stations, Chamber’s of Commerce and individual businesses. Ask your local restaurants for a menu you can adapt with pictures so individuals can order independently. Video Stores will usually let you have the old posters too. Also, check out your local yellow pages. They often have sites in your area in small symbol size photos.