Our Approach
Our Approach
Communicating Through Signs and Pictograms With Your Child.
What is total communication?
This involves transmitting messages by using different communication modes. For example, in addition to speech, our products integrate signs and images to facilitate the transmission of ideas. Promoting total communication when speech has not yet been mastered or is slow to develop can reduce the appearance of undesirable behaviors. It offers the child a way to express their needs.
Contrary to several misconceptions, the use of signs and images while awaiting the emergence of speech will not delay its development as long as the child continues to be exposed to speech.
Total communication allows the child to remain in communication with their surroundings. Thus, the different spheres of communication can continue to evolve, which has a positive impact on knowledge acquisition and social interactions.
Speech remains the fastest and most effective means of communication. As soon as the child is able to use it, they will do so.
Expressing oneself in words
For most adults, speech has become such a natural and everyday act that we forget its complexity.
Every child, from birth, must go through several stages to master this complex task.
We offer specialized tools to facilitate speech learning.
Speaking in signs
We all use natural gestures to communicate. Studies have shown several benefits of using signs to support speech in young children. There are positive effects on communication development.
The ability to use a gestural symbol to communicate often comes before the ability to say a word verbally.
The difficulty with signs is learning them as an adult. By offering children a concrete way to express their thoughts at an early age, we allow them to build communication skills quickly.
To express oneself through images
We all use images to communicate!
As early as 8 months, children point to objects in their environment to make requests or comments. Around 9 months, they point to pictures in books and use them to get an adult's attention.
We only need to observe a child navigating a smartphone or tablet to realize that they are capable of using a visual symbol to achieve a goal.
For children, images are powerful means of communication while waiting for speech to develop or to support it.
Who are the speech therapists behind Symbolicone games?
Symbolicone was born out of the practice of Caroline Martin, a speech-language pathologist specializing in the communication development of preschool-aged children. Karine Ross and Marie-Claude Dufour, also speech-language pathologists, joined the adventure. By combining speech, signs, and images, their interactive game-books become a powerful tool to facilitate communication development. For some children, communication development follows a typical path, while others encounter additional challenges (language development delay or disorder). In all cases, our game-books offer a specialized learning solution!
An approach at the heart of everything we create
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Gamebooks
Discover the storeInteractive books that combine speech and pictograms to develop vocabulary, pronunciation, and early sentence formation. Magnetic pieces, cut-outs, flaps, and mechanisms engage the child on every page.
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A blog for advice
Read the blogTips and advice from our speech therapists that demystify common misconceptions about communication and children. A valuable resource for further learning.
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Educational apps
Discover our appsOrthoPhono and OrthoPicto offer interactive activities to work on sounds, vocabulary, and first sentences. Both at home and during interventions.
