'It's inclusion': mum praises playground tool helping her non-verbal son

Newcastle speech pathologist Katrina Allan hopes Lake Macquarie City Council sees "the value" in communicating with families with disabilities and turns its inclusive play trial into a permanent fixture across its parks.

The council has installed a communication board at Thomas H. Halton Park at Croudace Bay as part of a three-month trial.

The board features symbols, pictures and words that support people of all ages and abilities to interact and play.

The communication board is designed to help children with autism or disabilities, and those who have English as a second language.

Ms Allan is a senior speech pathologist at Cardiff's ATUNE Kids and submitted the proposal to the council for the communication board.

"The rollout of it to more locations seems somewhat dependent on feedback from the community," Ms Allan said.

"I want to put it out there more because everyone who sees it, particularly the families who come to our clinic here who have kids with disabilities, see it as really important.

"I just want to shed a bit of light on it in the hope that the council sees the value of it and rolls it out to more places, because they are hopefully going to consider it for more parks, library spaces, and a few things like that."

Ms Allan said many of the children at ATUNE Kids who are non-verbal or minimally verbal communicate with symbol-based systems on digital devices.

The communication board, which was developed by disability provider Scope Australia, replicates many of those symbols.

"Seeing these symbols out in the community, I think that's really important for them to be able to access these spaces," Ms Allan said.

"It can be a way they can communicate when they're out in those spaces. Just generally, it's sending a message to the community that kids with disabilities are welcome in these kinds of public spaces as well, which I think is really important."

Lake Macquarie mother Abbey Carroll and her six-year-old son Cliff, who relies on non-verbal communication, have already started using the board at Croudace Bay.

"I love it," Ms Carroll said. "It's inclusion, and that's what every autism parent wants for their kids - to feel like they're included."

Communication boards in parks have been installed by Kempsey Shire Council, and Lake Macquarie City Council consulted them as part of the project.

"Council will explore options to install appropriate communications tools at other playgrounds across the city," a spokesperson for the council said.

"Community and stakeholder feedback will help inform future planning."

Ms Allan said she has also approached the City of Newcastle about installing a communication board at Lambton Park.