Ben Jenga
Crossroads School
Ben started at Crossroads in 2017 and enjoys playing games with his friends during social skills groups at school, as well as at home during family game time. The Speech Department at Crossroads created language boards for students to practice communication while playing their favorite games, such as Jenga and Candy Land. Language boards contain vocabulary specific to a certain activity and can be printed or programmed on a student’s device. These systems are already improving game time for students and families.
“Ben and I played Jenga a couple of times over the weekend after the speech team put the program on his iPad,” Ben’s mother shared. “I prompted him to push the buttons on the iPad and he would repeat the words on his own. We mostly worked on ‘my turn’ and ‘your turn’ because he usually says ‘Ben’s turn’ and ‘Mommy’s turn’. By the end of the second game, he said, “Mommy it’s your turn,” all on his own!”
Currently, all of the 69 students at Crossroads school receive direct or consultative speech services, and 67% use an Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) system. The Speech Department at Crossroads is excited to continue to build this library of resources!Crossroads School is a private, non-profit day school in Marlborough, MA that serves students ages 3-22 in a bright school environment 226 days a year. The school promotes educational and behavioral development and offers vocational, related, and home-based services. Crossroads has been a Bike to the Beach partner since 2015 and helped expand participation in the New England Ride.