I encourage my students with disabilities to use sentences as much as possible from low tech to high tech, from verbal to written communication.
One of the most inexpensive ways I have used to encourage sentence development is a basic communication board. I use Boardmaker to print out symbols/words, but any picture from a magazine or camera could be used. I wanted a way to reuse symbols without having to run to the laminating machine. I came across baseball card holders made from heavy plastic at Walmart. I trimmed the holders to 3 in. by 3 in. I set the size of my cells to 2.5 in by 2.5 in. I placed Velcro on the back of each holder.
I use a slant board with an area at the bottom to place the symbols. Students sequence the symbols to create a sentence. I use this board for activities throughout the school day. The symbols are larger and easier to manipulate for students with some physical disabilities. Some students love the sound of the Velcro.
