In the following tutorials we will learn how to create and modify our AsTeRICS Grid dynamic communicator to adapt it to the user. To do this, it is important to distinguish between the two types of dashboards we will use: Home Grid and Global Grid.
The Home Grid is a board made up of cells in which we will insert our pictograms, images, texts, etc., to facilitate functional communication to our user. Tablero de comunicación inicial es una cuadrícula compuesta por celdas en las que iremos insertando nuestros pictogramas, imágenes, textos, etc., para facilitar la comunicación funcional a nuestro usuario/a.
From this grid, we can use linked grids with different vocabulary categories to enrich communication.
To edit our main communication grid, we have to click on the Edit button in the top menu.
If we edit the communicator we are using as an example during these tutorials, the following screen will appear:
We can see that, where the Edit button used to appear, a new button called Editing off appears. Once you have created or modified your grid, click on it to return to the previous mode.
We can also see that the cumulative phrase row and action buttons have disappeared. These elements are inserted within the Global grid.
To define which will be our initial board, which will affect cells such as Home (in the global board) and options such as Navigate to Home Grid that we will see when we explain the Navigate to another board action, it is important that in the Manage Boards section we go to the bottom and in the Home Grid section we define in the drop-down menu which board we want to be from among those we have created.
At any time we can change the home grid by selecting any of our list of grids. Once selected, all links in our communicator pointing to the home grid will be automatically updated to point to the newly selected grid.
Optionally we can activate the option “Navigate to home grid after selecting an item”. Once activated, the system will automatically return to the initial dashboard that has been configured when, when accessing a linked dashboard, we click on a cell that does not link to other dashboards.
The Global Grid is a static board visible on all communication boards. In other words, unlike the other dynamic boards in the communicator that change as you navigate, the content of the Global Board always remains static in the same unchanging position.
The global grid can contain any type of cell: accumulated phrases, action buttons (e.g., start, read phrase, delete, change language, etc.), real-time information cells, and, of course, basic or core vocabulary that we want to be visible at any time. All elements placed on this global board, regardless of their position, will appear on all communication boards, located in the same place, as we will see when editing and configuring it.
To edit our global board, we can do it in two ways. The first is to click on the Edit button in the top menu.
Then, click on the More menu, located at the top right, and select the Edit global Grid option.
The other option is to go to Manage Grids and at the bottom click on the Edit Global Grid button.
Next, the current communicator’s Global Grid grid will appear on the screen, with the Dynamic Dashboards area already present (since the January 2026 update).
or without it (for previous versions).
In the following tutorials, we will explain how to create/edit/modify these two types of grids.
