The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

For the child with autism who is a beginning communicator, a number of different communication interventions exist. However, whichever approach or combination of approaches is employed, success will be limited unless the child is able to practice what is learned in a variety of settings, with different people. This session will present ideas for increasing communication exchanges throughout the child’s day, employing strategies that can be used with a variety of approaches and in a number of different settings. For the child with autism, who is a beginning communicator, a menu of different communication interventions exist. There are those based on Applied Behavior Analysis, such as Discrete Trial and Pivotal Response and other approaches, such as Floortime, are considered developmental approaches. The Picture Communication Exchange makes use of visuals, as do most augmentative communication systems. However, whichever approach or combination of approaches is employed, the success will be limited unless the child is able to practice what is learned in a variety of settings, with different people. This session will present ideas for increasing communication exchanges throughout the child’s day, using strategies that can be used with a variety of approaches and in a number of different environments.
The session will begin with a brief look at some of the typical communication approaches and the challenges that exist in generalizing newly learned communication skills. Lack of generalization can be particularly problematic for individuals with autism because the child frequently does not have the burning desire to communicate that most typically developing children have, nor are we, as adults, well versed in creating opportunities and motivation for the reluctant communicator. The typically developing child who is learning to communicate practices his new skills constantly, while a child with autism may have few communication exchanges outside of scheduled intervention sessions.
The lack of generalization with Discrete Trial Training (DTT) has been well documented and in recent years more child centered approaches have replaced or been used alongside DTT. While these more natural approaches provide a great deal more flexibility, too often the techniques used are limited to intervention sessions. So how can we increase communication opportunities, along with the necessary support, throughout the child’s day?
The place to begin is to gather information from those who spend considerable time with the child and compile a list of communication opportunities that already exist, whether the child is taking advantage of these opportunities or not. Start with a careful examination of the child’s daily schedule and routines. First look at all the times that the child is requested or expected to communicate in some way – when the child is greeted in the morning, asked what he wants to eat, given a choice, etc. Does he respond, remain silent or just echo what was said? When the child does respond appropriately, what conditions exist? Where and when does this happen? Who is he responding to? Are particular motivators involved?
Next, take note of what peers or siblings are communicating during these same activities. For example, peers at circle time may be relating experiences they had over the weekend, while the child with autism rocks silently. Or, siblings may be saying what they want to eat at a fast food restaurant while the child with autism rubs his hand over a nearby display. These are all missed opportunities. Examples of a typical school and home schedule will be shown to demonstrate how to go through a schedule step-by-step, identifying communication opportunities. A brief description of Beukelman and Mirenda’s “Participation Model” will be given along with other methods of gaining information including interviews, checklists, such as the Social Networks checklist (Blackstone, 2003), and observing the child in a variety of settings.
The session will then review a number of strategies that can be used to increase the child’s participation in these missed opportunities. Demonstrations and examples of the following strategies will be included.
• Gently insisting on a response with exaggerated, expectant facial expressions and giving plenty of wait time
• Using natural cues and additional prompts, varying them by having different people involved, using different materials and slightly different wording
• Pre-teaching what to say or how to communicate in specific situations
• Interrupting familiar routines
• Using visual supports and scripts
• Providing role models and structured exchange formats
• Determining what will motivate the child and training siblings and peers to occasionally take on the role of doling out rewards
• Giving immediate positive responses to any communication attempts
• Using strategies to turn echolalia into meaningful responses
• Responding to random behaviors as if they were intentional communication attempts
Typical missed opportunities will be described and ideas for encouraging communication in those situations will be discussed. For example, a picture sent from home could prompt that child at circle time to make a statement about what he did over the weekend. Or, the child at the fast food restaurant might be able to state what he wants by using a script or pre-teaching technique.
The remainder of the session will look at how additional communication opportunities can be created. This again begins by looking at the child’s schedule to determine where and when new opportunities could be introduced. Examples will be given of the following ways of creating new opportunities.
• Duplicating successful communication exchanges at other times of the day and in different settings
• Looking for communicative intentions in a child's behavior and provide a script for what the child could say to get what he wants
• Including more one-on-one interactive play opportunities
• Including the child in adult facilitated small groups, such as social skills or play groups, or clubs focused on special interests
• Using the child’s special interests as motivators
• Encouraging interactions with others by teaching the child to share her accomplishments and interests or relating a message – use visuals, scripts and pre-teaching techniques
• Using sabotage and communication temptations, for example, “forgetting” necessary items, such as giving the child pudding, but no spoon
• Use interactive techniques, such as asking open-ended questions
• Giving choices
• Imbedding conversation scripts into the child’s schedule, for example – Free time. Ask peer buddy, “Will you play with me?”
• Replacing non-interactive communication (such as indicating lunch choice on a chart) with interactive communication (telling the teacher what you want)
• Seeding the environment with high interest items to encourage conversation and placing some items out of reach so the child needs to interact with an adult to gain access to them
• Using familiar statements, leave off the last word or phrase for child to fill in
• Using books and video interactively - ask questions and make comments the child can imitate while reading a story or pause videos, and require a response before continuing to play the video
• Using games that require a response or interaction, such as “Go Fish” or “I Spy”
• Arranging “phone friends” conversations
• Providing “conversation books” to help peers, substitute teachers and relatives communicate with the child

This session has two main purposes. The first is to help parents and professionals use their observation skills, along with other information they can gather through checklists and interviews, to assess what communication opportunities already exist and what new opportunities could be created. The second purpose is to stimulate thinking about what supports could be used to help the child to take advantage of these communication opportunities.

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