• The most important purpose is to create a two-way exchange of information between a communication partner and individual.

• Promotes motor automaticity! Just as in a high-tech device, there should be a consistent motor plan of icons in a child's system. In CVES™, the patented icons are removable and returnable to the same location, held securely by hook and loop fastening, and organized by color-coding. This helps the motor plan as well as the convergence of language to help create motor automaticity for each word as the hand movements become the tongue, lip, and jaw for grammar and syntax.

• CVES™ encourages Spontaneous Novel Utterance Generation (SNUG) to allow students to say what they want when they want both in symbols and oral communication. That means using single words, two-word combinations, three-word combinations, etc, and working across grammar structures and syntax structures. SNUG was originally introduced by Dr. Katya Hill (Achieving Success in AAC: Assessment and Intervention).

• Works on multiple functions of language at the same time. We use language for many purposes aside from a request or comment. We use language to direct others, to ask for help or assistance, to indicate when we're done with something (cessation), to protest or reject something when we don't want it, to tease, to comment and to request. CVES™ can start a child working on multiple functions of language at the same time.

• CVES™ is versatile, allowing the clinician to select the correct teaching tool based on the specific needs of the child: Aided Language Stimulation, ABA Style, Pivotal Response Training, Backward Chaining, or others. We want to be talking to a child using the icons in the system which will help the student pair speech with the meaning of the icon. If we're giving the student receptive input, then he or she is more likely to use the system expressively with us

• Behavioral Regulation is another key aspect because we want to target different functions of language to assist with behavioral regulation. The top 4 functions are requesting, indicating cessation, requesting assistance, and protesting or rejecting.

• As previously mentioned, CVES™ facilitates receptive & expressive joint attention. It will also help improve eye gaze referencing between icons and the communication partner or between a preferred object, an icon, and the communication partner.

CVES™ is also an ideal "backup" communication device if a high-tech system is unavailable. 

The symbols used in the CVES™ program can be purchased as either Boardmaker® icons or Pixon™ icons. The design of either symbol set has the look and feel (visual as well as symbol sets being used) of high tech electronic devices allowing for a smooth transition to a high tech system when it is determined appropriate.

Ages: 3 and up. This would also be applicable for nonverbal adults due to TBI, Dementia, Stroke, etc. Made in the USA.

The layout of the system is organized mostly based on the Fitzgerald Key of color coding:

• Yellow = People and Pronouns
• Red = Food and Drink
• Blue = Feelings (real photos)
• Light Blue = Adjectives/Descriptors and Art
• Dark Green = Sensory
• Green = Verbs
• Teal = Time
• Pink = Social
• White = Question and Grammar Word
• Orange = Nouns and Descriptors
• Purple = Prepositions

What's Included

Start by choosing a CVES™ Foldout:

• Boardmaker® Intermediate Medium - 105 icon count (icon size: 1" x 1.25") - Code N105
• Boardmaker® Advanced Small - 189 icon count (icon size: 0.75" x 0.85") - Code N189
• Pixon™ Intermediate Medium - 105 icon count (icon size: 1" x 1.25") - Code N105P
• Pixon™ Advanced Small - 189 icon count (icon size: 0.75" x 0.85") - Code N189P

Along with the CVES™ Foldout, you will receive:

• Communication 3-Ring Binder
  • Attached carrying handle.
  • Hex key to lock the 3-ring binder.
• Binder Stand
• Foldout (your choice of 1 of the 4 options listed above)
  • Each Foldout contains basic core vocabulary.
  • 105 Word List (icon size: 1" x 1.25")
  • 189 Word List (icon size: 0.75" x 0.85")

• Core Communication Card
• Masking Icons
  • 2 sheets (70 blank Icons) for the 105 Foldout (icon size: 1" x 1.25").
  • 1 sheet (63 blank Icons) for the 189 Foldout (icon size: 0.75" x 0.85").
• Binder Tabs with Icons (icon size: 1" x 1.25")
  • Food (Drink)
  • Social (Social Phrases)
  • Sensory
  • Health
  • Art
  • Play
  • People
  • Miscellaneous
• Stickers for customization on the Miscellaneous Binder Tab Icons.
• First & Then Card
• Visual Schedule
  • Board with 140 Icons (icon size: 1" x 1.25")
• Hook & Loop Fastening with instructions for completely assembly.
• Implementation Training Videos
• Downloadable & Reproducible Materials/Data Sheets

4 Versions

N0005...CVES Boardmaker® 105
N0006...CVES Boardmaker® 189
N0007...CVES Pixon™ 105
N0008...CVES Pixon™ 189