Low Tech
Picture communication boards can help students with a speech impairment communicate with others. The pictures can be customized for the individual student and the different environments he/she will be in. There can be words, pictures, letters, or a combination of those. Students using a picture communication board may be limited to whatever is on the boards at the time and if they have something else they want to say then they may be unable to. Another limitation is if the board somehow gets ruined, then the student will have to find another way to communicate with others.
Mid Tech
This device is called Cheap Talk. It is a battery-operated device that allows you to record voice messages that correspond with each of the images in the squares. You turn a knob to the number matching the image, push a button, and speak into the microphone to record the message. There is a separate button that can be plugged into the spot for the corresponding number on the side of the machine. Once the button is pressed the recorded message is spoken through a speaker on the back of the device. Messages can be recorded and rerecorded as many times as needed. Students using this device would be limited to whatever messages are recorded in the device at the time and it can be a lot of work to plug everything in to the right spot to say a short message. Since these devices run on batteries, it is important that spare batteries be kept either in the classroom or with the student. Most Cheap Talk devices are limited to just 6, 6 second recordings.
High Tech
Dynavox is a company that created multiple communication devices for students with a communication impairment. Each device is portable and acts like a tablet. They are all touch screen and allow users to touch a series of images to form what they want to say. Some of the devices have bigger images and symbols for those who have vision problems or physical disabilities. They also have eye controlled devices for those who don't have good motor skills. These devices are expensive and they require a decent amount of training so students will not experience benefits immediately. For some students, this device could be used as their only mean of communication and if it were to break or die, then the student would be unable to communicate effectively.