Have you ever played Pictionary? In this classic game, one teammate draws a picture of a word while others attempt to guess what it is. The whole basis for the game is that, depending on the word one is being asked to draw, it can be tricky to represent a word with a picture. If we asked a room full of people to draw the word WORK, we get lots of different drawings. What would YOU draw to represent the word WORK? A construction sign? A hard hat? A desk with a computer on it? A hammer and nail?

If we ask people to guess the word being drawn by looking at only one picture, they will likely struggle. However, if we ask them to look at 3 or 4 pictures that build a pictoral representation of the word, players may have a better chance at figuring it out. This is exactly why sometimes people playing Pictionary draw multiple images in an effort to provide clues to their teammates!

What word are we trying to represent with the picture shown below? Is it car, drive, transportation, vehicle?

When these other pictures are added, such as those below, does it give you a better idea of the word trying to be represented?

Did these images help you guess that the word we were going for was FAST?

When it comes to learning language using augmentative/alternative communication (AAC), some applications attempt to represent concepts using one to one correspondence, where one image represents one word. Other applications lean into the notion that multiple images sequences together can be used to represent one singular word. Which works best for the student(s) you support?