Communication Strategies

Talk, Talk, Talk! – Talk about what you are doing, narrate what the student is doing (i.e., Wow, the big car goes up. You make it go fast! Look at it go! I like the big car. Where is the blue car going?)

Offer non-contingent wait time! – When singing favorite songs, reading favorite books, or playing favorite games, pause to allow the student to fill in the blank (i.e., “ready set…. go!” “brown bear brown bear what do you… see!”). Fill in the word yourself after a 3-5 second break if the student does not respond. 

Engage in highly preferred activities! – Communication will be more motivating when working on something that the student really enjoys. For example, if they love playing with trains, the words “train,” “go,” “choo choo,” “fast,” “slow” will be repeated often and may provide more opportunities for the student to learn them. 

Don’t be afraid to be silly! – Language is fun! Teaching the students that it is OK to play with language can make it less intimidating. For example, working on words like “wow,” “uh oh,” “oh no!” or “icky” can be silly ways to engage the student and increase vocabulary.