To ensure that every student can participate in and access the curriculum, the Ballarat Specialist School community supports, responds to and teaches a wide range of communication strategies or ‘multimodal communication’.

These strategies include body language, eye contact, facial expression, natural gestures, vocalizations and speech, key word sign, Auslan, object and tactile cues, photos, picture symbols, text (written or typed) and speech generating devices.

As a school community we also ensure we model and offer the content of the verbal information in an Alternative and Augmentative Communication (AAC) system (e.g. signing, communication devices) to support students’ understanding and participation.

Our speech pathology team is trained and experienced in assessing students’ communication skills and can provide clinical rationale around individual communication goals, strategies and AAC systems which are tailored to suit each student’s specific communication profile. Where appropriate the use of comprehensive AAC systems (systems which offer a wide range of vocabulary and do not limit the user’s ability to express all thoughts and ideas) will be promoted and taught.