Enabling students to speak, or at least to communicate through communication boards, is DeMino's daily challenge. It's done in steps. If the mechanics are there for them to speak, they eventually do. Until then, they must learn to communicate without speech. DeMino sets up her classroom so that the students must ask for things.
Communication is emphasized in every student-teacher interaction.
We do this for kids who verbalize and for those who don't. We have group activities. We have individual activities. We have snacks. We have recess.