Alcester company launches communication boards to help SEN children

Kickstart Signs! initially made the communication board after a request from a local primary school headteacher to create a communication board to help non-verbal children during breaks and lunchtimes on the school playground. Following the successful implementation of the external solution used in the playground the company quickly innovated a unique hand-held version for use in the classroom and other indoor settings. After realising the effectiveness of the board on the playground, the school requested the boards be installed in each classroom to help with teaching and learning for non-verbal pupils. The signs have now proved so popular in educational settings that the company is

launching AVoice4All as a separate division within the company to manage the demand for the communication boards.

Since the initial product range was developed to support school pupils, the company has also translated the boards into Ukrainian amongst other languages to help children who do not speak English as their first language. The company has also created a new range of boards and silent language keys to support individuals with medical needs or who may be temporarily unable to communicate with their voice.

“The board has generated an awful lot of interest in the playground, with the children gravitating towards it and generating their own games. In the classroom, one child, with a diagnosis of autism and ASD, is using the language key to help express how he is feeling in different situations throughout the day. The symbols provide visual information, which is particularly important for reducing anxiety in autistic children as predicting what will or could happen can be very challenging, even in a familiar setting. The child has made the connection between the language key and the board and is able to point to different commands to communicate with peers and adults on the playground too. It’s been a game changer,” said Shottery Primary School Head Teacher, Louise Withers.

AVoice4All have set the ambitious mission of getting the communication boards into every school in Warwickshire by the end of 2025, with demand already established elsewhere in the country.