This year we are introducing Key Word Signs across the school. Key Word Sign (KWS) is a tool or strategy which can be used to support children and adults with communication difficulties to understand and get their message across to others. KWS adds signs to spoken words. The key words in a message are signed. KWS is not a sign language, but it borrows the signs from the sign language of the country it is used in, which in Australia is Auslan. 

Each fortnight our students will be introduced to new words with the staff supporting students to learn them through a video introduction of the KWS being taught, examples of when to use them, a puppet skit and a poster explaining how to do the signs. I will include the KWS poster each fortnight to support our Ashwood School community to learn the key word signs of the week.

Michelle Durrant
Speech Pathologist