Don’t limit communication with topic boards: Use your AAC

About topic boards

For many years, topic boards have been a go-to support in AAC. They are a type of communication board. Topic boards show specific words for one activity, like mealtimes, art, or bowling. These words are usually printed on a light-tech paper board for easy access. Topic boards are useful in certain situations and are especially helpful when the full AAC system isn’t available.

But topic boards have limits. They can restrict what someone says to what’s on that board. If the “bowling” board is in use, how can an AAC user share a funny story from the alley? How can they talk about their plans afterward?

Recently, researchers have brought attention back to topic boards and visual scene displays. They suggest that strong AAC systems can’t always replace topic boards. So, clinicians should use both. At AssistiveWare, we agree that context matters. However, we also believe that efficiency and long-term language growth matter as much.

5 limitations of topic boards

1. They limit language opportunities. You can only say what’s on the board. To communicate naturally, we need words that help us change topics.

2. They limit the learning of words in the AAC system. Words on temporary topic boards don’t teach users where those words live in their main AAC system. When the board goes away, so does access and the memory of how to find that word again.

3. They may not support motor planning. Each board could place words in different locations. This inconsistency blocks the development of automatic "muscle memory." If often-used words aren't in the same position, it slows you down because you have to hunt for them.

4. They stop language from generalizing. If “blow” is only on a “bubbles” board, how can someone talk about blowing out birthday candles or blowing up a balloon?

5. They take time to make. Creating and updating activity boards for each event or lesson can take hours. We could use that time for modeling and connecting instead.

Using your robust vocabulary

A robust vocabulary means having the full set of words and tools to say anything. It includes small words like “the,” “an,” and “a.” It also covers nouns, action words, and descriptors. Users can protest, ask questions, share information, express feelings, and more. Plus, robust vocabularies include grammar markers and the alphabet. This supports AAC users in communicating in many ways and settings.

Proloquo is a robust vocabulary system. It has four times the vocabulary of other AAC systems, which benefits both very young users and adults. It supports motor planning, grammar, and syntax. Robust vocabularies support flexible, transferable language use.

Instead of making separate "activity folders" or "topic boards," use Thinking Space. It lets you group or highlight words linked to a routine, theme, or lesson without removing them from their home position.

Focus Mode helps you simplify what you see during an activity. It lets you highlight only the most important words to make teaching specific words easier. Users can still access the full vocabulary.

Thinking Space and Focus Mode provide many of the same benefits as topic boards. They provide quick access, context, and clarity without the “now you see it, now you don’t” problem.

Tip #1: When modeling on a paper-based board, touch each word on the board as you say it. Then, repeat the whole message with your voice. This shows that communication occurs through the AAC system. It also builds respect for it as a legitimate method of communication.

Tip #2: Model while co-constructing in Thinking Space. You can also model while focusing on specific vocabulary in Focus Mode. Let the device speak first. And model complete messages, not word fragments. 

When a simplified display can still help

There are times when a simplified display, like a printed page or a focused view, makes sense. 

For example:

• During outdoor, wet, or messy activities where a device might be at risk.
• When introducing AAC to very young or new communicators.
• When a specific routine needs extra visual focus.

In these cases, you can create a light-tech view from the robust vocabulary itself. For example, you could print Proloquo’s Thinking Space to provide quick access. That way, AAC users always learn words in their location, even when the setup looks simpler.

Why “robust,” not "balanced"?

“Balanced” can sound like we’re trading one thing for another: a little of this, a little of that. But "robust" highlights capacity. It means a vocabulary that grows with the communicator. A robust vocabulary supports language development through grammar, storytelling, and self-expression.

The bottom line

This article offers an effective alternative to topic boards. AAC users can only say what is on the topic board. This limits their language and makes it difficult to build sentences. It also does not support long-term learning.

Continuous communication growth happens through learning and modeling with a robust vocabulary.

Proloquo’s design keeps all words within reach. Thinking Space and Focus Mode provide context and simplicity. They do this without losing language development. Using them together creates communication that is flexible and efficient.

Links & References

AssistiveWare Support Proloquo and Proloquo Coach help overview
– Proloquo Thinking Space
– Proloquo Focus Mode

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Erickson, K., & Koppenhaver, D. (2020). Comprehensive Literacy for All: Teaching Students with Significant Disabilities to Read and Write. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing.

Farrall, J. (2015, October). Aim for language development: Don’t create custom pages for specific activities.

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Zangari, C. (2013). From Activity-Based AAC to Robust Language (Parts 1 & 2). PrAACtical AAC Blog.