A new Core Communication Board has been installed at the playground at East Jordan Elementary School to provide visual support for students who struggle with communication to help them express their interests, needs and wants while on the playground. 

 

Rachael Tisron, an assistant in the Char-Em ISD program classroom at East Jordan, led the project and adjusted a core board template that was provided by ISD Speech and Language Pathologist, Kelli Knight. Elementary school principal Carla Vrondran encouraged and approved the project. The ISD printed the poster, and Rachael reached out to a local friend, Doug Peck, who donated his time and built the frame. Rachael and her husband installed the sign on the playground.

 

When this project was shared on the Char-Em ISD Facebook page, it was viewed more than 45,000 times via hundreds of shares, and CEISD staff have been contacted by numerous local and regional school districts for information about how they can create their own communication boards! Check out the great comments in the post, too: www.facebook.com/charemisd

 

The students in the pictures are from Sarah Dzwik’s Char-Em special education program classroom housed at East Jordan Elementary School. Several students in this classroom have complex communication needs and use a Core Board and other Augmentative or Alternative Communication (AAC) systems to communicate.