A 6-year-old boy who cannot communicate verbally made a new
friend by pointing at symbols on a colourful board in his local
park.
Bash's story is one of many and the Minister for Children and
Social Care, 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, 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."
