Our colleagues Sam, Nieve and Zoë sat down for an honest conversation and reflection about supporting Callie a 7 year old child using PODD (Pragmatic Organisation Dynamic Display) communication book during a very unplanned ballet class.

No plan, no problem

The lesson was never meant to be ballet, they were told it was going to be a soft play session. With no preparation and no time to practise specific vocabulary, the team had to respond entirely in the moment.

As Nieve put it, “We completely made everything up as we went along.”

That included getting lost in the PODD book more than once.

Zoë explained, “There were so many times we said, ‘oops, back to the start,’ because we’d gone down the wrong branches. We were trying to find ‘dance’ and just couldn’t. Afterwards we realised it had been there all along.”

Getting lost does not mean communication stops

Those moments of uncertainty did not stop interaction. They simply changed how it looked. Sam reflected on why this matters for teams supporting AAC users: “Realistically, in an activity, you might not know where that word is, but you can still talk around it. There’s still communication to be had, even if that specific word isn’t available.”

Instead of searching endlessly for the perfect word, the adults commented on what they could see, what was happening around them, and how it felt.

Real conversations, not just instructions

Although the session centred around ballet, most of the communication was not actually about ballet at all. Using her PODD book, Callie commented on what was happening around her and what mattered to her in the moment, including:

• Tutus and costumes, describing them as “princesses”
• Her feelings, telling the adults she was “grumpy”
• Her needs, including “I need the toilet”
• And, at one point, simply saying, “I love it”

As Samantha reflected, “It just shows there’s more conversation than direction and action.”

This is what AAC is all about. Not a task‑based tool focused on following instructions, but as a shared way to chat, comment, and connect during a busy, real‑world activity.

PODD supports feelings and boundaries too

After nearly an hour of ballet and constant modelling, Callie’s communication shifted. Back in the classroom, while having a snack, she let everyone know how she was feeling.

Nieve described it clearly: “We’d been on the PODD book for about an hour straight and you could tell she wasn’t in the mood anymore. We modelled through the feelings and she told us she was ‘grumpy.’”

That moment raised an important question about giving children language to stop, not just to participate.

“I remember thinking we needed something for her to be able to say, ‘I’m done,” Nieve said. “We ended up offering options like ‘buzz off,’ and ‘go away.’ When I said ‘leave me alone,’ she was very clear that that was the one she wanted.”

By offering language such as “leave me alone,” Callie was able to clearly express her need to end the interaction. As Sam summed it up, this was about having an exit strategy. PODD supported Callie not only to join in, but also to say when she had had enough.

The takeaway

This session was busy, messy, and far from perfect. Words were missed, pages were skipped, and nothing went to plan. But communication still happened, and Callie was able to share her opinions, feelings, and needs in real time.

Zoë: “You just have to not care about looking silly.”

Nieve: “You literally just wing it.”

AAC doesn’t need perfect planning, specialist vocabulary, or calm environments.

It needs engaged adults, permission to get it wrong, and confidence to keep going anyway. Sometimes using AAC is not about getting it right. It is about staying with the child, keeping communication open, and being willing to say “oops” and carry on together.

Because communication doesn’t wait for ideal conditions and neither should we.