Topic “Home and activities for living”  

Plastic perspex sheet with hole in the middle, around 40cm x 30cm (e.g "E-tran frame");

Two sets of everyday picture cards - or whatever the student is interested in.

1. Start with using just one picture at a time;
2. Have the two sets of pictures face up;
3. Take one picture and put it on the frame in one of the four corner positions;
4. Show the student its matching card;
5. Ask the student to find the matching card on the frame (e.g. "Where's the banana?");
6. If they look at it, confirm what they have looked at ("Yes! The banana!"), and pair it with the other one, and put it in a "done" pile. To make it more fun, you could pretend to eat it (or whatever is relevant for the picture you have used).

Plastic perspex sheet with hole in the middle, around 40cm x 30cm (e.g "E-tran frame");

Two sets of everyday picture cards - or whatever the student is interested in.

Plastic perspex sheet with hole in the middle, around 40cm x 30cm (e.g "E-tran frame");

Two sets of everyday picture cards - or whatever the student is interested in.

Picture cards with emotions

Optional - choice of pictures showing possible reasons - for example a picture of a boy who has fallen over to go with a picture of a boy who is crying.

1. Look at an emotion picture card - discuss what is happening, for example, "Look... the boy is crying.";
2. Ask 'Why is he crying?' and give a model answer for example "because he is sad", "because he fell over".

One or more pictures showing scenes - for example someone running away, a hot beach.

Or...

Pictures in a book.

Two toys one desirable and one not.

• A familiar picture book;
• If required, a symbol card to represent 'what' (for example a question mark).

1. Ask "what" questions about familiar pictures in books. For example, ask 'What is this?';
2. Model the answer if the child has difficulty answering, for example "What's this?". You could also use a "what" symbol card when you ask questions - pointing to it when you use the word 'what'.

One or more of these:

• own photos from school or home;
  
• pictures of things.
  

... and if required:

"What" symbol card

• A familiar picture book;
• If required, a symbol card to represent 'who' (for example a question mark next to a picture of a face).

1. Ask 'who' questions about familiar pictures in books. For example, ask 'Who is this?';
2. Model the answer if the child has difficulty answering, for example "This is Sam". You could also use a "who" symbol card when you ask questions - pointing to it when you use the word 'who'.

One or more of these:

• own photos from home or school;
• picture cards with people on.

...and if required:

• a symbol card to represent 'who' (for example a question mark next to a picture of a face).

A situation where there are other people - for example in class, in the playground.

"Who" symbol card if required.

• Digital camera
• Velcro
• Laminated sheet of paper
• Stickers
• Laminated symbols for  ‘Hello’

If you don't already have a symbol for "hello" you can find one in the Commtap Symboliser.

1. Agree with 3 familiar people that the child is going to start greeting them by saying ‘Hello’.
2. Explain to the people you have selected that the child is learning to greet another person and there are a number of steps to this.
3. Explain that the child will get a sticker reward for starting to say ‘hello’.
4. Ask the people you have selected to respond to the child’s greeting by making eye contact and saying ’hello’ with a welcoming gesture.
5. The steps for greeting include:
• Stopping
• Looking
• Gesturing
• Handing over a symbol of ‘Hello’
• Saying/signing ‘Hello’
6. Take photos of the people you want the child to greet and laminate.
7. Put the photos on a laminated sheet of A4 paper using velcro.
8. Next to each photo velcro on a laminated symbol of ‘Hello’.
9. As you approach the target person they need to stop and get down to make eye contact with the child and say and gesture ‘hello’. It is best to use just one word.
10. Help the child identify the person in the photos by pointing to the photo.
11. You model saying ‘Hello + name + welcoming gesture. As you do this point to the person’s photo and then point to the ‘hello’ symbol.
12. Support the child to do the same if needed.
13. The child gets a sticker for stopping / looking / gesturing / saying ‘Hello’ verbally.
14. As the child learns the routine slowly give fewer and fewer prompts for greeting targeted adults.
15. Keep giving stickers for as long as the child needs this reinforcement.

Use something that the person may be visually attracted by, for example:

• Flashing light;
• Any favoured object;
• Hair band with a visually interesting item e.g. Christmas bands.

1. Work in an environment that has as little visual distraction as possible.
2. Talk to the person and attract their attention by moving around the flashing light or other object.
3. Once the person is looking at the item establish visual tracking (move it around a little so that they can follow it with their eyes).
4. When visual tracking is established bring the item up towards your eyes so that the person is looking towards your eyes.
5. If the person makes eye contact then give lots of verbal encouragement by saying "hello" smiling etc.

Kitchen with everything appropriate for making a cup of tea. You don't need to have them out and ready though - finding the stuff can be part of the activity.

1. Sit in the kitchen at an empty table and say you want to make a cup of tea - but you don't know what to do (or have forgotten what to do);

2. See if the person suggests getting something - e.g. teabag or cup.

If the person suggests something, e.g. teabag, ask where you can find it. See if they can tell you - e.g. "cupboard" - but if not, give then some suggestions - e.g. "in the cupboard or in the fridge?" - have a look in the fridge if they suggest that.

If the person doesn't suggest anything, give a funny choice, e.g. shall I get a cup or a paint brush - if they suggest "paint brush", get one and then look really confused when you have it - see if they can correct you, or if there is not paint brush to find, look equally confused. Get a cup even if they don't prompt you to get one (as if you've suddenly remembered!)

3. As you go along, try to get the person to extend the language - but don't try to get them to repeat, also try to avoid asking leading questions (for example avoid asking "shall I stir the tea now?"). For example if you have a tea bag and a cup, and they say "cup", indicating that you put something in the cup, put something else in the cup - e.g. a pen. If they then say teabag, do something with the teabag - but don't put it in the cup. At this point they may try to put the two words together, e.g. "teabag...cup". If not, you can give them a choice. Try the following:

"teabag in the cup or pen in the cup" (you might get a response of "teabag" in which case put it somewhere - not in the cup);

or

"teabag in the cup or pen in the bag"

or

"pen in the bag or teabag in the cup" (easiest because the target phrase is last).

Whatever is required for the activity. Activities could include:

• Cleaning;
• Shopping;
• Cooking;
• Washing up;

- Sensory toys and materials for messy play (e.g. trays with sand/ cornflour and water/jelly).

- The best toys are those that the child can manipulate easily to produce a result.

1. Guide your child's hands and visual attention to toys/trays of material(s) that they can touch and look at.

2. Let your child explore the toys/materials in the tray and encourage them to investigate all their properties, stimulating all of the child's senses as far as possible (colour, smell, texture).

3. You may need to draw the child's attention back to the activity if the child becomes distracted. Use your voice to regain their attention (e.g. a drawn out "ohhhh!", or an intake of breath).

- Ball / dark cloth

- Your voice - to sing simple nursery rhymes that have an element of anticipation built in such as "Round and round the haystack, like a little mouse, one step, two step and into his little house".

A small choice of snack items to choose from - in small pieces - for example banana, apple, orange, crisps (the idea of having the items in small pieces is that it gives lots of opportunities to practice the request);

Something uninteresting - e.g. a piece of paper;

Pictures of the food items.

1. Introduce the food items by saying and signing the word for each item;
2. Check for which items the person is interested in having: offer some of the food items for them to take. Re-inforce the language by saying and signing (at the same time) the food items that the person takes;
3. (Initially) use a forced alternative (see right) to give them a choice. E.g. "banana or orange", say and sign each option, and indicate the item as you do so. See the comments on the right for using forced alternatives;
4. Always respond to what you think someone has communicated (see right for developing this);
5. Wait, to give the person an opportunity to make a request spontaneously, if they don't you can continue from step 3 (offering forced alternatives).

Food items - in small pieces - which the children like, for example banana, apple, orange, crisps;

Something uninteresting - e.g. a piece of paper;

Pictures of the food items.

1. Introduce the food items by saying and signing the word for each item;
2. Check for which items the child is interested in having: offer some of the food items for the child to take. Re-inforce the language by saying and signing (at the same time) the food items that the child takes;
3. (Initially) use a forced alternative (see right) to give the child a choice. E.g. "banana or orange", say and sign each option, and indicate the item as you do so. See the comments on the right for using forced alternatives;
4. Always respond to what you think the child has communicated (see right for developing this).
5. Wait, to give the child an opportunity to make a request spontaneously, if they don't you can continue from step 3 (offering forced alternatives).

• Choice of food items in small pieces - e.g. pieces of banana, orange or crisps - which the person is interested in having;
• Something not interesting to the person - e.g. a piece of paper;
• Pictures of each item (e.g. a picture of a banana, a crisp and a piece of paper).

1. Offer a choice of food items, or a choice of a food item and the "boring" item (if the person doesn't mind which food item they get);
2. Ask them what they want giving a choice, e.g. "Would you like some banana or a crisp?" (Stress the underlined words and also sign them);
3. Respond to what you understand the person has communicated - giving them that item.

See the comments on the right as to how to respond to some typical situations.