Many classrooms offer choice boards and prompt students to select an item. This is a great communication support, but this does not always lead to the student learning how to initiate a request for functional communication. Some students become very prompt dependent. It is important to teach initiation. It may be with a verbal word, a sign, a picture or a voice output device. Regardless of the mode you are trying to teach, take some time to help your students request without a prompt. Today's Communication Corner has some great examples of how you can facilitate initiating requests in your classroom.
Entice instead of Prompt
To facilitate a request without prompting the
student, you must entice them. This starts with knowing what is highly
motivating for the student. Interact
with the desired item, within view but out of reach. The Picture Exchange Communication System
(PECS) is a great process to use for developing initiation. The process starts
with teaching the student to hand a picture of the desired item to the
communication partner in exchange for the item itself. Initially, the focus is
on the initiation of the exchange so there is no need for the student to
discriminate between pictures. There is no prompting, only enticing, watching
and waiting. As soon as the student reaches for the desired item, a silent
physical prompter can be used to guide the student’s hand down to the picture to
then give to the communication partner (the one with the desired item). Only then does the communication partner
provide a verbal model of the request (remember, there is no verbal prompting).
By exchanging a picture for a tangible item, the student quickly learns the
power of a picture. Even if you do not plan to use PECS as a communication
mode, this is a great process to develop the foundational skills for communication
such as joint attention, communication exchange and of course, initiation. You
can use pictures, photos or even objects/wrappers to represent the desired
item.
 |
| Object PECS Christine Scarborough Tecumseh Elementary, Xenia |
 |
| Choice Board Pam Ellender Mad River Middle School, Mad River |
 |
| I want... Strip Angie Kleinhans Stebbins High School, Mad River |
 |
| I want... Strip Brittany Bush Spinning Hills Middle School, Mad River |
As you continue to introduce additional pictures, create
a book to provide your student with a central location to access all their
pictures. Make sure the student has the ability to visually scan across all
pictures. It is beneficial to create a color-coded communication pages with
pictures arranged by category. The
student will need direct instruction and modeling to learn how to navigate to
the desired picture. By having the ability to access a communication book or
device, your student can initiate any request (not just what you are presenting
on a specific choice board).
 |
| PECS book Karyn Smith Tri-Village High School, Tri-Village |
 |
| Wh-Flipbook |
Model and Shape the Behavior
When teaching a picture exchange, the physical prompter shapes the behavior by waiting for the student to reach for the item then physically guides the student’s hand down to take the picture for an exchange. PECS also uses a shaping process with its 4 step error correction procedure to develop picture discrimination. You can use shaping for other modes of communication. For example, if the student is producing sounds or word approximations, you can reinforce a purposeful attempt to verbally request the item. Continue to model and expect a little more each attempt to shape the behavior closer to the desired outcome.
Some students communicate with sign language. They may struggle with the fine motor skills necessary to produce a variety of fringe words such as specific food items or toys. Consider focusing on simple core words to request such as “want”, “more”, or “go”. These core words can be modeled repeatedly across different activities.
If the student is unable to speak, sign or physically
exchange a picture, consider other ways to access communication. The behavior
can be shaped using simple cause and effect to get highly motivating objects or
activities. For example, every time the student hits the button or gazes at the
picture, the adult engages him in a motivating activity.
 |
| Switch and Eye Gaze Board AAC Supports Ann-Marie Small Driscoll Elementary, Centerville |
An important part of shaping the initiation of
communication is modeling. Modeling is different than prompting. It shows the
student what to do rather than telling the student what to do. Modeling is
something you do all the time to immerse the student in the behavior that is
expected. Modeling is particularly important for students using a nonverbal
mode of communication. Look at the difference between modeling input between a
verbal child and a child using a device:
- Verbal communication- a typical 9-12 year old has been exposed to 36,500 hours of verbal language (Korsten, 2011). It takes approximately 1 year for a child immersed in verbal language to begin speaking.
- Communication device- If a 9-12 year old child is only provided a model of communication using the device twice a week for 20-30 minutes, it would take that child 700 years to gain the same exposure to his mode of communication that a verbal child experiences (Korsten, 2011). We shouldn’t expect a child to immediately learn how to use a device with limited exposure.
For more information, click the image below for an awesome resource from Saltillo:
Modeling is important! You can model using the student’s device, a similar
app on your iPad, or print a copy of the core page.
 |
| Wall poster matching AAC device Allie Clements Schnell Elementary, West Carrollton |
The video below does a great job illustrating the importance of modeling language and use of AAC.
Teach Navigation and Traveling
If a student is communicating using a device or picture exchange, it will be important to teach traveling to get the message to the right person. Be sure that the device or book is kept in a location where it can be quickly found by the student. Add a strap to make it easy to travel with across the environment. You may need to directly teach the student to independently get the device or book, take it to the communication partner and get their attention to hear or see the request. We often see teams focus on only training in a structured environment sitting across the table. This is not functional. Taking the time to directly teach and reinforce the student’s ability to travel and persist to make their request, will go a long way!
If
the student is using a device, make it easy to carry and use on the go
 |
| AAC on-the-go Carrie Prickett Jane Chance Elementary, Miamisburg |
Reinforce or at least acknowledge the Request
In the beginning, it is extremely important to acknowledge and reinforce all attempts to initiate a request. Once it is clear that the student knows how to spontaneously request, you can limit or delay the request. Use a visual tool such as a countdown or a visual contract to communicate clear expectations.
 |
| Visual Countdown |
 |
| Visual Contract |
 |
| "Closed" Sign for Free Play Area Angela Crum Parkwood Elementary, Beavercreek |
Collaborate for Consistency and Generalization
Eventually,
your student should be able to initiate functional communication across the
day. To make this happen, collaboration between team members is critical. Make
sure all staff members working with the student know how to model, entice,
shape and reinforce the target communication skills. Determine the best way to share target
vocabulary, student progress and tips for facilitation. Some teams have the
ability to talk on a regular basis while other teams communicate using email or
a shared Google document. Visuals for staff can be helpful such as a wall
poster with tips or sticky notes for more specific reminders.
 |
| AAC Programming Clipboard for classroom staff Ann-Marie Small Driscoll Elementary, Centerville |
 |
| AAC Device Charging Reminder for classroom staff |
 |
| AAC & Communication Facilitation Reminders for classroom staff Jackie Vollmer & Ann-Marie Small Driscoll Elementary, Centerville |
For more information on teaching students to request, check out our previous blog post:
No comments:
Post a Comment