To make a calendar board, you may choose to use a cardboard backing with a Velcro strip. Activities and appointments are depicted with pictures, even if the child has some reading skills, it is recommended that you start with pictures.
The pictures are cut in to cards and laminated; then they are Velcroed on the back. They are arranged in sequence. As someone goes through their day, they move the card over to the other side. Reset every day after the student goes home.
A schedule should be discussed with the nonverbal individual as soon as she gets to school and about 2 minutes before it is time for the next activity. Daily calendars can be extremely helpful with students who do not handle transition well, as they are able to mentally prepare for the next activity.
All students benefit from structured, systematic teaching. This is not militaristic; it gives students dependable, predictable program. If a child is having trouble with adjusting to a new schedule or a new activity, the schedule should probably tighten up, giving students activities to look forward to without the difficulty of a surprise.
In a high-tech world, calendar boards are a "no-tech" solution. The benefits of "no-tech" solutions are too many to discuss here, but the nonverbal student is able to function well without having to charge his board or think about batteries.
Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) are the pictures you use to make a communication board. A large variety of PECS can be found online, commercially or use a camera to make your own.
The users of these boards have demonstrated an increase in spontaneous and verbal communication, a decrease in maladaptive behaviors and an increase in social interactions.
In "Psychology Today," AS Bondy writes an abstract titled "PECS: Potential Benefits and Risks." This article concludes that, "while some parents have feared that PECS will result in delayed use of speech, one major benefit of PECS is that children using PECS often do develop speech. Further, almost half of these children stopped using PECS and started using natural speech within a year. One parent commented that 'PECS turned on the light for communication' in her child."
For the calendar board to work, it must be used consistently, both in and out of the home. Anywhere the nonverbal child goes, the calendar board should come with them. A well-made board allows the nonverbal person to communicate with just about anyone; that is something you can't truly teach at home or in the classroom.