AEIOU Foundation for Children with Autism in Woolloongabba | Non-profit organisation

AEIOU Foundation for Children with Autism

Locality: Woolloongabba

Phone: +61 1300 273 435

Address: 3 Balaclava Street, Woolloongabba 4102 Woolloongabba, QLD, Australia

Website: http://www.aeiou.org.au/

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• Non-profit organisation
• Disability service
• School

25.01.2022 If you could be a superhero with any kind of superpower you could imagine, who would you be? Last week on Early Childhood Educators Day, we invited our centre teams to celebrate their educators for all they are and all they do as part of our team. At #AEIOUSippyDowns, the educators and children celebrated with yummy (individually packaged!) treats and by dressing up as superheroes. As it turns out, being an Early Childhood Educator is a superpower all on its own!

25.01.2022 2020 has been a challenging year for many of us. For families in the autism community, the everyday challenges have been compounded by an isolating and global pandemic, which may make you feel disconnected or afraid. But the best thing about community is that we can be there to break down barriers, build trust and support one another. This RUOK? Day, were encouraging each person in our AEIOU community to ask another in the community "Are you OK?". Open the door to having meaningful conversations with someone else on the regular. Its a little thing you can do that means a lot to someone who might be struggling with challenges at home, school or work.

25.01.2022 What does a successful transition to school look like? Our Research & Assessment Team has been hard at work with Curtin Autism Research Group (CARG) and autism researchers across the country to support transition to school for children with autism, whether its into a special education or mainstream setting. Transitioning to school is an uncertain time, to say the least! For children with disabilities such as Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), there are unique challenges, an...d appropriate supportsor lack thereofcan have a major impact on their academic, social and mental health outcomes. This new research shows that A SUCCESSFUL TRANSITION TO SCHOOL needs to: Build the child: to cope with change, anxiety and independence Build the family: to access community networks, manage their own anxiety, and advocate for their child Build the school: to better understand ASD and support children with autism Connect the system: to cultivate collaboration between family and school, to foster an accepting culture of neurodiversity, and to offer the right supports at each step of the transition. A question for our past families whose child has transitioned to a school environment: what was YOUR experience like? You can read more about this fascinating study here: https://bit.ly/3bc1IbU

25.01.2022 Ahead of Fathers Day, the children in the #AEIOUBaldHills Planes Room got crafty creating special artworks for the amazing father figures in their lives. Here, Elizabeth and Furyin give a big hand for their superhero dads

24.01.2022 What do Ethan, Murray, a penguin and a horse all have in common? They love playing SNAP together! Ethan (left) and Murray (right) attend #AEIOUGoldCoast and have been working on taking turns while playing games together and working towards a joint reinforcer. These two are on fire with their SNAP game! Watch the video until the very end - Murrays reaction perfectly encapsulates what a round of SNAP feels like!

24.01.2022 So, your child has aversions to particular foods, their smells and their textures... You wouldn't be alone! Calling all #AskAutism parents, grandparents and family friends... Q5: What's a lunchbox snack that just works for your child's sensory sensitivities?... Leave your recommendations in the comments down below. PM us if you would like to submit a question as part of this #AskAutism series. #SpotlightSunday #CommunitySpirit *Disclaimer: These endorsements are of the autism community, not of AEIOU Foundation.

23.01.2022 One Sunday morning, the warm sun came up and pop! Out of the egg came a tiny and very hungry caterpillar. We read The Very Hungry Caterpillar at #AEIOUSippyDowns recently and, boy, was that caterpillar hungry! He ate apples , pears , plums , strawberries , oranges ... and we explored those same fruits with our senses and learned that they all look, smell, feel and taste differently.... After our little caterpillars explored all that food, they made a cocoon and out they came as beautiful butterflies!

22.01.2022 #TransformationTuesday: if theres anything we needed to hear right now, its about all the good, the success, the wonderful in the world Joshuas body likes being busy, at the climbing frame, in the fort and on the trampoline. His eyes have trouble maintaining contact with others, but his hands love to paint and play with colourful toys. He isnt able to communicate verbally. Joshua also has autism but, most of all, his mind likes sorting shapes and piecing together puzzle...s. This year, Joshua started at #AEIOUCamira. Hes been working on his play and social skills with peer games, his attending skills (waiting for a turn and remaining seated during activities), and toileting. In the last eight months with AEIOU, he has started to give more eye contact, approaches peers more often and has settled into his pairing with his therapists and educators. His grandparents are thrilled with the progress he is making, particularly that Joshua can now access and develop his communication in a functional way: through PECS. Every single persons autism experience is different. Every childs journey with AEIOU is unique. This #TransformationTuesday, lets remember all the little steps these kids take every day towards their development goals that make up the big successes year on year

22.01.2022 The children at #AEIOUToowoomba are all settled back at their old stomping ground at the Rhonda Greensill Centre... albeit newly renovated! A day in the life of a child attending our Toowoomba centre means: Hanging your hat up beside the cows Interacting with your peers, therapists and educators during group learning centre activities... Making music and dancing Developing gross motor skills in the exciting new Gross Motor Room or on the playground outdoors. So many learning and development spaces to explore throughout our play-based therapy activities

22.01.2022 Five little speckled frogs, sat on a speckled log, eating some most delicious grubs... Yum yum! The children and staff in the Nemo Room at #AEIOUGoldCoast have been enjoying singing 5 Little Speckled Frogs lately, and imitating the actions of jumping around like frogs. So... naturally, the staff had to dress up as speckled frogs to play along with the children. We love watching these little tadpoles grow into beautiful, clever speckled frogs!

21.01.2022 "Up on the shore they work all day, Out in the sun they slave away, While we devotin' Full time to floatin', Under the sea" Richard from Ocean Life Education took the kids at #AEIOUBaldHills for a pretend trip under the sea at the centre. The children got to touch star fish, sea cucumbers, a special turtle named Dale and a peek at a baby shark (doo-doo-doodoo-doodoo) The kids loved the touchy-feely pools and made fast friends with the ocean creatures.

20.01.2022 Happy Early Childhood Educators Day to all our Educators, Teachers, and Learning Facilitators! These staff play such an important role in delivering our therapy and care, and have developed such heart-warming relationships with the children in our centres. Each day brings new surprises and challenges and today, some of our centre teams received the most beautiful messages and gifts from families... all to celebrate them! What an incredible impact these educators obviousl...y have had on these little learners development and in the lives of their families. #LoveMyECE #ThankYou #EarlyChildhoodEducatorsDay

20.01.2022 Last Thursday was R U OK Day. Working in the early childhood early intervention space is rewarding and challenging all at once. But it also means that each day is a new opportunity to ask a colleague, friend or family member: are you okay? A big heartfelt shout-out goes to #AEIOUBaldHills Room Leader Carla, who organised special care packages for every team member and hands-on activities to help us spark those sometimes-tricky conversations. Being able to learn from and be supported by one another certainly helps us be okay! Lets keep the conversation around mental health going long beyond September.

20.01.2022 But what milestones should my three-year-old child be meeting? Speech Pathology Australia has some really great public resources that outline talking and understanding milestones for kids aged 1 to 5 years old. If a child is having difficulty with their speech, language or communication, you might use these fact sheets as a tool to begin a conversation. Even though it can be scary, you dont need to be overwhelmed: the sheets also demonstrate how educators and speechies can work together with families to ensure children reach the appropriate milestones Find out more about communication milestones for your child here: https://bit.ly/2YKFB7i Or share with another family!

19.01.2022 Lachlan attended #AEIOUNathan in 2012 and 2013. In January 2021, Lachy started high school. Mum Jade said the family was "forever grateful" for the time Lachy spent at AEIOU. "He has come so far and we are extremely proud of the young man that he is growing into every day." Lachlan did it all alongside best friend Wyatt, the first friend he made at AEIOU nearly 10 years ago. Now, they're off to the same high school together. We'd captured Lachy & Wyatt's friendship before ...- check out their blue graduation robes as AEIOU Class of 2013! From one uniform to another, one challenge to the next, nothing's quite as scary when you've got a best friend. #TransformationTuesday

19.01.2022 At AEIOU, were always learning something new. Check out what some of the little learners across our rooms at #AEIOUBrighton learned recently: how to make playdough! Learning Facilitator Shino made playdough with the children. Everyone enjoyed getting tactile with the playdough (some more than others!). We got to use our fine motor skills to roll the dough out into a flat pancake-like shape (mmm, that makes us hungry! ), cut the dough into shapes with colourful cookie cutters , and squish the dough with our fingers Lots of sticky, doughy fun to be had with playdough! If youre keen to re-create this activity to develop your childs fine motor skills at home, this recipe is touted as one of the best! Click here: https://bit.ly/332aKG7

19.01.2022 Did you know that 1.2 million Australians live with a communication disability? Autism Spectrum Disorder is one of them. Often, its invisible and out-of-sight, but functional and confident communication can mean worlds of opportunities for a child with autism. And were not just referring to speech! Were talking maximised educational, health and social outcomes We regularly evaluate the outcomes of the AEIOU program and continue to find significant increases in communication for many children and increases in everyday life skills (Vineland Adaptive Behaviour Scales). Look out, world - here come AEIOUs little superheroes!

19.01.2022 The children in #AEIOUBrightons Dolphin and Squid Rooms have been getting busy this past month, practising a whole range of skills across different activities: turn-taking, reading as a group to develop our communication skills, indoors play with a ball to develop our gross motor skills, and outdoors play! Theres nothing better than learning when its alongside your friends, a lot of fun and full of laughs

17.01.2022 Hands-on tactile play is one of our favourite activities at AEIOU... It sneaks in fine motor skills development for our kids disguised as a whole lot of fun, and is made that much more exciting with our trusty friend, Play-Doh At #AEIOUToowoomba, we used Aided Language Stimulation (ALS) boards to engage the children to request for Play-Doh, cut and squash the dough, and roll and create!

17.01.2022 Its with sadness that we let all our Take A Hikers know that this years Brisbane Take A Hike - for children with autism event will be postponed until 2021. With COVID-19 regulations and restrictions still in effect, as well as development planned in the South Bank area which would impact much of our courses, weve made the decision to welcome you back to this event in May 2021. Looking forward to welcoming you back to our special event in six months time! Thats plenty of time to start training, fall off the bandwagon a few times, get back on and run your heart out on the day

17.01.2022 Tanaka started at #AEIOUCamira at the beginning of this year... and so many things have happened since then! Tanakas enjoyed cuddles with his therapists and educators, has played on the swing and in the playground fort, has built towers from blocks and knocked them down. Hes gained toileting skills and learned how to wait for his turn. He can now independently request for various items. Did we mention Tanaka celebrated his 4th birthday with us and his peers during this time too!? Now, hes working on his imitation skills, discriminating different pictures on PECS Phase 3B, holding hands, and his communication skills. What a #TransformationTuesday: if theres anything we needed to hear right now, its about all the good, the success, the wonderful in the world Way to go, Tanaka!

16.01.2022 This year, being kind to others and keeping a positive mindset for yourself has been more important than ever. On #WorldKindnessDay2020 (13 November), the AEIOU centre teams made an extra special effort to spread kindness to their colleagues. The team at #AEIOUSippyDowns brightened each other's days by wearing funky socks and colourful shirts with positive messages. #BeKind #BePositiveBeHappy

15.01.2022 The #AEIOUNathan community burst into an explosion of culture today, having a joint celebration for 'Diwali' this week (the Hindu Festival of Light, on the 15th day of Kartik) and 'Holi' (the Hindu Festival of Colour, traditionally celebrated at the beginning of spring). The kids got to explore traditional 'Diwali' activities like crafting rangoli alongside painting fireworks to celebrate light. Then, the whole team and all the children came together to end the day with a... vibrant 'Holi'-honouring bang: a centre-wide colour fight complete with gulal (coloured powder)! What a burst of energy! We're so humbled to be able to share experiences like this with our multicultural community.

15.01.2022 Fletcher might just be the World's Biggest Fan of The Wiggles Fletcher has been communicating with his therapists and educators using LAMP, an AAC (Augmentative and Alternative Communication) device, and has recently learned to request. What do you think Fletcher has been requesting? ... His favourite #TheWiggles songs, of course!... Rock-a-bye Your Bear Hot Potato Big Red Car With backing vocals by #AEIOUBaldHills Speech Pathologist Winsome and Program Coordinator Ally, Fletcher has been having some wiggly good fun! Did you know The Wiggles are celebrating 30 years of wiggling and giggling? What's your family's favourite The Wiggles song?

14.01.2022 At #AEIOUNathan, our team went cookie-mad with their latest fundraiser! This fun sing-a-long game goes around and around, until we find the person in the circle who stole the cookie. In this case, "Who stole the cookie from the cookie jar?" It was Beth! Sneaky Beth with her love for cookies! If youd like to support your local centre in a fundraiser, you can call our Fundraising team to brainstorm fun and innovative ideas to raise funds

14.01.2022 Last week was Speech Pathology Week and the dress-up theme in #AEIOUGoldCoasts Seahorse Room was anything starting with SP... What does that mean? Salt and pepper? Speech pathologists? Sports players! No surprises that sports attire was a popular choice! During our first term dress-up day, many of the children found it difficult to cope with the change in routine for them and our staff wearing different clothes. But this time, all the kiddos did very well adjusting to this change - well done!

14.01.2022 3 years ago, little Jack began at our Rhonda Greensill Centre (#AEIOUToowoomba). Aged 3, Jack had no functional means of communication and suffered through meltdowns, could not tolerate shoes and wearing most clothing. When his family moved across states to access the vital early intervention Jack needed, they say that AEIOU quite simply saved us. Within two weeks at AEIOU, Jack was smiling again. He began to communicate with others, and the night terrors left. This year, J...ack turned 7. He had a small birthday party to celebrate with a group of friends from his school, including his best friend. He is reading at a Level 4 (the goal for the end of the prep year). He trains in muay thai twice a week. He is so joyful and happy - his teachers words, not his familys. He still experiences challenges, but he loves going to school and has transitioned well. To think this time 3 years ago, Jack had so many struggles... We couldnt be prouder of the communication, social and independence skills Jack has developed. Now look at him! You can read more about the ODea familys journey here: https://bit.ly/2Zfpgrr #TransformationTuesday

14.01.2022 We want to thank the Lord Mayors Charitable Trust for their continued support and generosity! Thanks to the support of the Lord Mayors Charitable Trust over the years, weve been able to purchase much-needed therapy and educational resources for the children, iPads to support Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) such as Proloquo2go, as well as revamping outdoors play spaces at our Nathan centre. Its thanks to the support of our generous donors, alongside the hard work of our team, that AEIOU is making such a difference in the lives of young children with autism and their families.

13.01.2022 In #AEIOUTownsvilles Pineapple and Mango rooms this term, the children have been exploring Australias First Nations culture through music, dance, stories, and traditional art forms. So far, the children have learned a lot about our Indigenous Australians and developed their gross motor, fine motor and communication skills by: Creating art with sticks from the traditional Land of the Wulgurukaba of Gurambilbarra and Yunbenun and the Bindal people Reading Dreamtime stori...es like The Rainbow Serpant, How Kangaroos Got Their Tails and When the Snake Bites the Sun Painting boomerangs with a version of ochre Dancing and singing along to Taba Naba, a traditional dance from the Torres Strait Islands Questions of culture, identity and belonging are big concepts for our little learners. But from little things, big things grow

12.01.2022 Old Macdonald had a farm at A-E-I-O-U... And on that farm, there were some ducks! Old Macdonalds Travelling Farms came to visit #AEIOULogan, and the children were able to pat, feed and cuddle so many animals. Ducks, lambs, chickens, piglets, llamas: you name it, we cuddled them with gentle hands! The llama was particularly popular with the children and, boy, was he hungry. We fed them the dry straw and some of us sang along with Old Macdonald.

11.01.2022 The work our teams do with the children in our centres is so rewarding and humbling. But the days definitely have their challenges and, in this crazy year were having, we wanted to take the time to show our thanks and appreciation for our incredible AEIOU employees Whether its in the form of neck and shoulder massages, a grazing table for morning tea (pre-COVID), messages of support from families, or wrapped Christmas treats, these things are small tokens of our appreciation... which truly pale in comparison to the endless dedication and passion our teams bring to working with our brilliant learners each day. We think all our team members are amazing

08.01.2022 Last week, all our centres from Townsville in Far North Queensland to Adelaide in South Australia tuned in for a unique shared book reading session organised by Senior Speech Pathologists Jo and Joy. Of course, we had to pick one of our favourite books on little crawlies: The Very Hungry Caterpillar This was a huge hit with all the children The reading was accompanied by interactive storyboards and the children were joined by our very own Hungry Caterpillars... with mouths that ate up the treats throughout the reading - check it out in the video! A big round of applause for our amazing centre teams who are always developing new activities to engage the children and to help them develop communication, social and self-help skills

07.01.2022 Look at these gorgeous little people! This World Children's Day, we're celebrating each of the children at our centres: their kindness, creativity and courage, all they've achieved so far, and the big lives ahead of them. For adults, today is an opportunity to celebrate and advocate for children worldwide. It's time to pause and be inspired by the kind of world the children of today will create as they grow up. If these souls are anything to go by, their world will be one... of big ideas and even bigger hearts. #WorldChildrensDay2020 #ReimagineTheWorld

07.01.2022 The children in the Trains Room at #AEIOUBaldHills have been working really hard on their communication skills, using their specific augmentative and alternative communication system (AAC) Using AAC systems means that children who may not be able to express their thoughts and ideas or their wants or needs verbally can still access a functional means of communication. At the Bald Hills centre, youd see Blayr using AssistiveWare Proloquo2Go, Brody and Elijah with their communication boards, and Kauri engaging with his PECS board to request... this time, hes requested a toy car Next week is Speech Pathology Week, so stay tuned for more content on communication! Youll learn all about how our therapists and educators work with the children to build their communication skills... and how we have fun while doing it!

06.01.2022 What sound does a courageous little lion make? "ROAR", says Hunter, with his newfound skills Hunter from #AEIOUBundaberg has been building his understanding of animal sounds during social play. He just LOVES when his therapists and educators use their imagination to transform into a range of animals during play It was very funny when Learning Facilitator Renee started moooooing! Through imitating, he can now pair the correct animal sound with the animal he is playing ...with all on his own. Nice work, Hunter! Tell us though: what sound does a giraffe make?

06.01.2022 To all the dads, granddads, uncles, carers and father figures: Happy Fathers Day! This Fathers Day, Nick shares some of his journey with us as dad of a child with autism: four-year-old Levi, a happy, easygoing kid, who loves blueberries and riding his bike. Nick shares his challenge in coming to terms with Levis diagnosis, and his pride in seeing his son make leaps and bounds with his development in the last 18 months with AEIOU. Just last weekend, the family went ...camping for the first time, something they never thought they would be able to do; this Fathers Day, a picnic and the beach. "If you said to me six months ago, or even 12 months ago, that hed be doing what he is now, Id be in disbelief." Read more: https://bit.ly/3bnhLDH

06.01.2022 The cinemas are not always something that is accessible for children with autism. So the staff at #AEIOUNathan decided to host our very own Day (In) At The Movies! The children were all so excited to attend the AEIOU Nathan Centre Cinema! They got to practise waiting their turn to get their ticket to the movies and making a choice in their pick of the latest blockbusters: Planet Earth or a Disney film. Each child chose which movie they wanted to see... plus they were able to order a choice of movie treat before making their way to the comfy viewing area. Popcorn was definitely the winner of the day! A pretty good way to spend a rainy day.

06.01.2022 Brown Bear, Brown Bear, What Do You See? At #AEIOUToowoomba, weve been reading one of our favourite books about animals this term, and exploring the different colours and features of the animals around us. The children made easy-peasy binoculars from cardboard, and went on a hunt for animals! Little learner, little learner, what do you see?

05.01.2022 For Valentine's Day this year, the kiddos at #AEIOUBundaberg decided to spread the love beyond AEIOU... Each classroom became an art studio, and the children got to creating special artworks to send to different nursing homes within the Bundaberg community as well as their families To our little people with big hearts: we "love you to pieces" ... #LoveIsAllYouNeed See more

04.01.2022 This #SpeechPathologyWeek, were learning all about communication and the people who help us develop these skills! Whether its in 1:1 therapy or as part of a group-based early intervention program like AEIOUs, a speech pathologists job is to work with children, parents and educators to unlock speech and language development using evidence-based approaches. At AEIOU, our speechies are part of transdisciplinary team who help support each childs individual goals so they can ...communicate in a functional way, whether thats by using a form of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) or through speech They can also support social communication development ahead of a childs transition into a new learning environment, and can support their participation in activities at home and in the community. Want to know more about how speech pathologists can address the communication difficulties experienced by people with ASD? Head to the Speech Pathology Australia Fact Sheet webpage for more info: https://bit.ly/34eNt4q

02.01.2022 All aboard the Magic Speech Bus, with #AEIOUToowoombas Speech Pathologist Nicole! An express service departing from AEIOU Foundation Station, the next stop is Communication Town! Decorated by the children themselves, this is their small way of saying a big THANK YOU to our speechies for the great work they do to help our children develop communication skills not only during Speech Pathology Week, but every day.

02.01.2022 Did you know AEIOU contributes to high-quality research in the autism field, alongside a number of research partners? Our friends at UQ have developed a new early intervention approach for infants with a first-degree relative with ASD. The initiative harnesses the power of ordinary parent-infant interactions to target social reciprocity from the earliest months. If you’re currently pregnant, and your baby will have a parent or sibling with ASD, The University of Queensland in...vites you to be part of a research study that could make early intervention accessible to infants at risk of ASD across the world. If you would like to find out more or know someone who might be interested, please contact the UQ research team on [email protected].

02.01.2022 Last week, our #AEIOUToowoomba team held an intimate gathering to celebrate the centres re-opening after extensive renovations earlier this year. We welcomed a small number of guests to say a BIG thank you for making our centre brighter, safer and more spacious Wed like to thank everyone who joined us, with special mention to Peter Haeusler, Bobbie and Lyn Brazil and the team and riders behind the Chain Reaction Challenge Foundation Womens 300 for their generosity, and Geoff McDonald for TRC and parent Melinda Luscombe for their ongoing support.

02.01.2022 At AEIOU, high-quality research backs our autism-specific early intervention program - and we are proud that our service and AEIOU community supports specialist research in the autism field. If youre currently pregnant, and your baby will have a parent or sibling with ASD, the University of Queensland invites you to be part of a research study that could make early intervention accessible to infants at risk of ASD across the world. Our friends at UQ have developed a new earl...y intervention approach for infants with a first-degree relative with ASD. The initiative harnesses the power of ordinary parent-infant interactions to target social reciprocity from the earliest months. If you would like to find out more or know someone who might be interested, please contact the UQ research team on [email protected].

02.01.2022 With Winter waning and Spring on its way, weve been loving our outdoors play at the centre We love climbing and running and swinging but, most importantly, we love being sun-safe. This means learning to Slip, Slop, Slap (Seek and Slide) when we play outside for long periods of time. Slip on a shirt, slop on sunscreen and slap on a hat! The children at #AEIOUBaldHills are getting ready for warmer, sunnier days ahead.

01.01.2022 Were crossing our fingers that this years Take A Hike Brisbane will be proceeding as planned this October Earlier this year, we took to the streets for a COVID-Safe Take A Hike event in Toowoomba, and you can be sure that our COVID-Safe event plan will be in place with many precautionary measures to safeguard the health of our competitors, volunteers and staff. Make sure youre following the Take A Hike - for children with autism Facebook page to stay updated on the l...atest updates for this event. We hope youll join us to colour the Brisbane riverside pink and blue in support of children with autism

01.01.2022 To all the parents in our community of older children: we want to share some FREE online workshops that can help your family proactively support your childs inclusive education. CRU - Community Resource Unit Ltd. will be running a series of online workshops next month, on topics including: Senior Studies: Building a Bright Future - Wednesday 12 August, 7.00pm... Heading to High School - Wednesday 19 August, 10.00am Building Belonging in the School Community - Tuesday 1 September, 10.00am I Choose Inclusion: the parent advocate tool kit - Tuesday 8 September, 10.00am Families can register now to participate in any or all of the above workshops, which will be online via Zoom. Registration is essential, so click here to register: https://bit.ly/39vCfJr By communicating clearly about your hopes, and knowing what you should ask for, you can give your child the best chance of thriving in an inclusive classroom. These online workshops are being delivered as part of CRUs Families for Inclusive Education Project which is proudly supported by the Queensland Government, Department of Education.

01.01.2022 We're sending a big thank you to our friends at CM & JA Whitehouse Foundation for their ongoing support of our AEIOU centres. This year, their funding will support the installation of external Picture Exchange Communication System (PECS) Boards in almost all of our centres' playgrounds THANK YOU! Communication is such an incredibly valuable and essential skill for us all, and these external PECS Boards will help the kids at our centres - non-verbal, using Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), or speaking - to communicate, develop social skills, and make new friends.