From pointing to playing: communication boards help children like Bash join in

Bash’s story is one of many and the Minister for Children and Social Care, Dawn Bowden visited Pentre Mawr Park in Abergele to meet Bash and his mum Rennie to see how communication boards are transforming the lives of children and families across Wales.

For many children, expressing even basic needs like "I'm hungry", "I want to go on the swing" or "I'm feeling sad" can be incredibly difficult. Children with autism, speech delays, or other communication challenges often struggle to make themselves understood, leading to frustration, isolation and missed opportunities to connect with others.

Communication boards offer a lifeline. These weatherproof signs display simple symbols – a slide, a swing, emotions like happy or tired, and actions like "more" or "finished" – in both Welsh and English. Children can point to share what they're thinking or feeling.

When children can express themselves, they can make friends and join in with play like Bash has and feel part of their community.

Over 1,000 boards are now installed in play parks across all seven Health Board areas in Wales. The Welsh Government has invested funding for these through its Talk with Me programme.

Bash’s mum, Rennie, said: “The communication boards have been wonderful for my 6-year-old Bash. He is autistic and can’t verbally communicate, so they’ve really helped bridge the gap when other children want to play with him, and so he can play without having to hold on to his Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) device.

“My son likes to use the boards to tell us what he wants us to do - usually to go faster, or he’ll point to “up” and run to the swing set.

“A little boy wanted to play with my son and asked me why he wasn’t talking back to him. I told him that my son hasn’t learned how to talk yet, but he uses signs and symbols like the ones on the new boards. The other little boy then said, “that’s cool”, grabbed Bash’s hand and took him over and they were both communicating with each other using the boards, then ran off to play on the roundabout together.

“It’s wonderful to see how willing children are to use the boards so that they can include the children that use AAC, and I can’t put into words how amazing it is to see my son being able to communicate and play with the other children without the limits that he would normally face.

“We keep seeing communication boards in more and more places, and Bash gets so excited whenever he sees them somewhere new.”

Minister for Children and Social Care, Dawn Bowden said: “The communication boards we see all around Wales are wonderful and powerful – they're helping children connect with their families, make friends, and feel part of their community.

“It’s been great to meet Bash and Rennie and it’s clear to see that the boards are making a huge difference to their lives. I'm proud that Wales is leading the way on inclusive communication and supporting children like Bash."