Innovative Playground Signs To Help HoCo Nonverbal Students

HOWARD COUNTY, MD — Playground signs designed to assist students who are nonverbal and use communication devices will be installed at Waverly Elementary School Monday. The signs, donated by the Howard County Autism Society, are believed to be the first of their kind at a public elementary school playground in Maryland. Eight Howard County schools will have these signs posted at their playgrounds.

Students will be able to point to pictures on the communication signs, which mimic the displays on Augmentative and Alternative Communication devices, to express their thoughts, feelings, needs and choices. The sign’s vocabulary design is based on TouchChat, a commonly used communication app for AAC devices. By using these signs, students will no longer need to carry their personal AAC devices with them, since the wearing of these devices can make it difficult to access the playground equipment easily. Once HCPSS schools physically reopen, plans are underway to train staff and peers on how to model language and interact with students using the communication signs during recess.

Signs will be installed at the these school playgrounds: Cedar Lane, Bellows Spring, Clarksville, Dayton Oaks, Ilchester, Pointers Run and Rockburn elementary schools. The schools were chosen due to the number of students who attend special education programs and communicate using AAC devices.