Review: Boardmaker Software and Pre-Made Activities
What is Boardmaker?
The Boardmaker brand has a lot of amazing tools and resources that will help you quickly and easily create customized therapy materials and AAC materials. Their huge library of images are easy for children to understand and will allow you to create just about anything your imagination can create. Or, you can use Boardmaker’s pre-made therapy activities!
Our Rating:
~ Scroll Down for More Info ~
What Carrie Thinks:
Review:
While Boardmaker provides a ton of great support and resources for speech-language pathologists, my favorite is definitely the Boardmaker Online tool. This tool contains a HUGE database of their symbols that you can use to create therapy materials. They have been primarily developed for use in Augmentative/Alternative Communication (AAC) devices and systems so the library is incredibly robust. You can use their online tool by starting with a template or creating your own resources from a blank canvas. This is great for creating resources and visuals for all purposes and you’ll see that the online tool has a great library of materials and boards that have already been created, too!
The SLP Solution membership uses Boardmaker symbols (with permission) in a lot of our therapy kits, AAC board, and other products. We love having a consistent look and feel between images so that everything is in the same style. And the Boardmaker symbols and images are incredibly clear. The PCS symbol library even includes sign language illustrations which helps when you’re working with children who use American Sign Language but who need visual supports, as well. Yay for total communication!
In addition to the Boardmaker Online tool, they also have a wealth of other products and resources. One of their newer additions is the “Activities-to-Go” section. This section includes some great, free downloads that are based around specific themes. Choose a theme like people, space, inventions, birthdays, etc. and you’ll find a simple book, an AAC board, and many activities that can be used in therapy to target vocabulary, following directions, and more! And each theme contains activities at three different levels so you can match your activities to the age and ability level of your clients.
For example, working on a community helpers unit? Check out the resources in the Boardmaker Activity-to-Go for teaching vocabulary and helping your AAC users communicate those words:
This service is for speech-language professionals who work with children of all ages who need visual aids, AAC, or other materials with graphics.
What Is It?
- An on online tool with symbol library for creating AAC boards, visual aids, therapy materials, and more!
- Pre-made therapy materials, visual aids, and activities created using the Boardmaker BCS symbol library
- Other great products for AAC and visual supports
Topics Covered:
- AAC
- Sensory/Behavior
- Language
- Speech
- Literacy
- Social Skills
Quality:
The resources and materials are of very high quality. The symbol library has very high-quality images that are very professional. And the physical materials are of a great quality, too.
Price:
- Activities-to-Go: Free! (Activities and visual supports for a number of different themes)
- Boardmaker Online: $9.99 per month with discounts for yearly subscriptions
- Other Products: Individually priced
Boardmaker has been gracious enough to grant all of the members at The SLP Solution 5% off purchases! To claim your 5% discount, become a member!
How to Purchase:
You can purchase from their website at https://www.goboardmaker.com
How is it Delivered?
You will have instant access to online tools and digital resources. For physical products, you can get free shipping over $50.
Refund Policy:
According to their website…
“All our products and services are backed with a 30-day money-back guarantee. If you are not entirely satisfied with the product you receive from us, you may return it in a salable condition within 30 days from the time of purchase for a prompt refund of the purchase price. Salable items are those for which there is no alteration from the product’s original condition. We do not accept returns on Software or Downloads.”
Tobii Dynavox has a customer service telephone number so it’s easy to get a hold of someone when you need them. You can also email them or submit a contact form on their website. They are incredibly responsive and have tech support in North America, Europe, and UK.
Tobii Dynavox on Facebook: 3.8/5 Stars
Boardmaker on Facebook: 16,000 Fans
SLP Solution Members’ Ratings:
Want to know what the members of The SLP Solution think of Boardmaker? Join the membership to view members’ reviews and ratings inside. Plus, get 5% off your purchases!
Free Trial: Boardmaker Online comes with a free 30-day trial
5% Off For SLP Solution Members:
Members of The SLP Solution get 5% off all purchases through Boardmaker! To get your 5%, join the membership below and go to the “discounts” section of our membership site for the promo code:
How Will This Improve My Job?
Overall Job Improvement Score:
23
What Does This Number Mean?
Here at The SLP Solution, we’re all about keeping it real and helping make your job a little easier. So we include a “job improvement rating” with every review that we do. For reference, a score of zero would mean that it doesn’t really improve the quality of your job any, but it may still be fun to have. A score of 100 would be the equivalent of hiring someone else to do your job for you while you sipped piña coladas on the beach. We’ll let you know when we find a product like that! Check out how Boardmaker Products and Services can improve your job below:
Having a quick and easy place to find symbols and images for your therapy materials is sure to help you reduce your stress, at least a little. There’s still the stress of actually coming up with the ideas and putting it together (if you’re using the tool to build your own) but that can be reduced by using the pre-made materials, as well!
This tool will definitely aid in your planning and prep work. Need an AAC board? Prep one here! Need a therapy activity with engaging pictures? Prep one here! Need to grab a few activities that are already created for a certain topic? It may already be prepped for you! However, you still have to plan out your sessions and figure out what you want to work on. So that part of the prep and planning is on you.
You know what takes forever? Finding the right pictures for the materials you need to make. Google image search just doesn’t cut it sometimes. So Boardmaker Online will save you a ton of time in that regard. Though you’ll still have to take some time to learn how to use the tool and actually create the resources. That’s why the Activities-to-Go are great! So they may save you some time if they have what you need, if not, you can spend just a little more time to make it yourself!
Not a paperwork or report-writing tool. That’s not what they do.
This isn’t a training tool that will help you know how to treat specific disorders or topics. Of course, you may learn something while you’re looking through the pre-made resources, but that’s not really their primary intent.
Having a nice, professional set of symbols/pictures that all have a consistent look and feel will definitely up the quality of your therapy materials. And if your materials are high quality, that’s going to improve the quality of your therapy some. You’ll still need to put in the work to make the sessions go well, but using high-qualify visual aids and communication boards will help with that for sure!
How to Get 5% Off:
Boardmaker has graciously agreed to give all of our members 5% off purchases at Boardmaker. To get your 5% off, click the button below to become a member:
Disclosure: Carrie Clark and The SLP Solution received a discount on a commercial license to use PCS and Boardmaker symbols in exchange for an honest review and posts on social media.
