Core board

Also called Core word board, Core vocabulary board, Universal core board

A single page of core words that never moves, so a person can learn where each word lives and reach it without looking.

What it is

A core board is one page, paper or screen, holding a set of core words in fixed positions. Typically between 20 and 100 cells, arranged so that pronouns, verbs, describing words and little grammar words each have a region, and the same word is always in the same place.

It is the workhorse of AAC. Most children's first system is a core board, most devices open on one, and most classrooms that use AAC well have one on the wall the size of a poster.

Who it can help

Anyone beginning with symbols, and anyone whose current board is all nouns. It suits people who will benefit from motor planning: once "want" has been in the top-left corner for a year, the hand goes there without a search. Adults with aphasia often do well with a core board because the words are small, common and combinable.

It is not enough on its own. A core board can't say a person's name or their favourite food, so it is paired with fringe pages or boards. And someone who can spell should have letters alongside it, not instead of it.

How it works

The person points, or a partner scans. The words combine into short messages: "I want that", "not go", "more help here". Because the layout never changes, the person is not searching a board, they are learning a keyboard.

Size is a trade-off. A 20-cell board is learnable in weeks and limiting within months; a 100-cell board offers real language and needs weeks of modelling before it makes sense. Many services start large and mask cells, uncovering them as the person is ready, so nothing ever moves. See grid size.

Colour coding by word type (a common convention is one colour for pronouns, one for verbs, one for describing words) helps partners find words fast while they model.

Getting started

Print one. ACE Centre and CALL Scotland both publish free boards in several sizes and symbol sets; Project Core's 36-word universal core is a good first board. Print A4 for the person and A3 for the wall.

Stick it where the person is: on the tray, on the fridge, in a wallet on a lanyard. Then model on it every day. Point to "stop" as you say stop, "more" as you offer more, "go" as you head out. Say the word aloud as you touch it.

Once the words on it are being used, add a fringe page and don't rearrange the core. Position is the whole point.

Where to get help

ACE Centre and CALL Scotland for free boards and guides; Project Core for a full free teaching programme built around a 36-word board. A speech and language therapist can choose a board size and symbol set for the person and show the family how to model.