A park in Round Rock is now even more inclusive for kids with limited speech and communication skills thanks to a former UT Austin student.
Last year, Caroline Osborn, now a graduate student in speech-language pathology at the University of Houston, highlighted the benefits of communication boards in playgrounds in her senior capstone project at UT.
The brightly colored boards feature different combinations of letters, numbers and symbols that help individuals better communicate non-verbally.
"What you would do is you would point to the symbol or picture of what you're trying to communicate," Osborn said. "So if you're trying to say, 'you're hot,' you can point to the symbol representing 'hot,' and the idea is that it's another way to communicate besides using words."
She said the boards are typically used by individuals who have trouble communicating verbally.
"That could be adults with traumatic brain injuries, kids with autism ... even babies," she said.
For her capstone project, Osborn said she approached several local organizations, offering to help create and install communication boards in their parks and playgrounds.
Among the organizations that expressed interest in Osborn's project, was the Play for All Foundation, which helps manage and oversee The Play for All Abilities Park in Round Rock.
Osborn called the park the "perfect fit" for her project. According to its website, the park's mission is to provide "a safe, fun place to play and develop new skills for children of all abilities."
"Caroline approached us with this idea, we liked the idea, and then we worked in conjunction with the parks and recreation department of Round Rock to come up with a plan to get these boards produced and installed [at the park]," said Lee Buckland, president of the Play for All Foundation.
The boards can be found in four areas in the park: the all abilities playscape, retreat pod, Nyle Maxwell race track and nature pod.
"The boards consist of a set of icons that are somewhat generic throughout the park, as well as a series of icons that are specific to the area of the park the individuals are in to make it more adaptable to the needs of different people depending on where they are," Buckland said.
Maria Isabel Alcala said her son Nolan was quick to notice the boards when they visited the park.
"When he saw the board, his finger went straight to the 'happy' symbol," she said.
Nolan, who's 6, is non-verbal. Acala said he's used to seeing communication boards at home and at school, but not in parks or on the playground.
She said Nolan usually has to bring a tablet to the park to communicate. But even that has its limitations.
Acala said it can be difficult for Nolan to communicate with a tablet and socialize with other kids.
She's hoping the new communication boards at the Play for All Abilities Park might change that.
"It opens the door for him to be able to communicate with other kids, not just me," she said. "It's really nice to see him feel special."
