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Topic “Standard 1”

Select a picture on an eye gaze frame

Activity/strategy name and materials required	How to do the activity	Key principles for doing the activity and comments
Picture pairs 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.	Start with using just one picture at a time; Have the two sets of pictures face up; Take one picture and put it on the frame in one of the four corner positions; Show the student its matching card; Ask the student to find the matching card on the frame (e.g. "Where's the banana?"); 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).	If the student has difficulties, you can try pointing it at each position on the frame - starting from their top left and working across and down - say "is it here" at each position ("no!") - until you get to the right position, say "yes" "here's the....". Say "look at the....", then ask them and say "where was the....?" - taking your eyes slowly to the position - trying to take the student's eyes with you. When you get there, take it off, pretend to eat it (for example) and then put it on the "done" pile with the other card. More ideas about this here from Call Scotland. Going further When a student can do this with one picture, try adding more pictures on the frame (distractor pictures). Start with two, then three/four (one on each corner), then gradually up to seven (each corner and the middle of each side except the bottom side. Put the target card - the one you are working on - in one of the positions you are using.
Find the picture/item 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.	Login or register to see the instructions for this activity.	If the student has difficulties, you can try pointing it at each position on the frame - starting from their top left and working across and down - say "is it here" at each position ("no!") - until you get to the right position, say "yes" "here's the....". Say "look at the....", then ask them and say "where was the....?" - taking your eyes slowly to the position - trying to take the student's eyes with you. When you get there, take it off, and pretend to eat it/drive it etc. More ideas about this here from Call Scotland. Going further When a student can do this with one picture, try adding more pictures on the frame (distractor pictures). Start with two, then three/four (one on each corner), working up to seven (each corner and the middle of each side except the bottom side. Put the target card - the one you are working on - in one of the positions you are using.
Confirmation using a "special spot" 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.	Login or register to see the instructions for this activity.	The idea of this activity is for the student to learn how they can confirm a choice. It is necessary to have some way of them confirming a choice because: They may look at the picture they want to communicate for a short period of time; They may gaze to several pictures; They may gaze at you to confirm a choice, or they may gaze for you to say something. All these will make it difficult to be sure what they are trying to communicate. The "special spot" (which could for example be a red circle stuck in the bottom middle of the frame) can be a point that a student to look to to: confirm a selection; to indicate starting or stopping the current communication exchange. More ideas about this here from Call Scotland.

Make a choice using two switches

Activity/strategy name and materials required	How to do the activity	Key principles for doing the activity and comments
Establishing motivators Items/activities the student may be interested in. Items/short activities the student is not interested in.	The motivating thing could be bashing on a musical instrument, blowing bubbles, getting social interaction: the student needs to be motivated by whatever the thing/activity is for this to work - they won't communicate for something they don't want. The motivating thing should be something they can have/do for a short time, e.g. no more than about 20 seconds or so. Check that the student is interested in the item/activity you choose by letting them have a go with it for a short time. Find something that's boring/isn't motivating. Examples of boring things could be: a ruler, piece of cardboard, "doing nothing" (simply doing nothing/ignoring the student for a few seconds) - this will very much depend on the student.	Don't use two things which are motivating for the student as you won't be able to tell whether they've succeeded in expressing a choice or not.
Establishing the switches to use Appropriate switches to use Typically you might start off with a couple of large recordable buttons (for example "Big Macs". You may have already established this with single switch work and established that they can make something happen with a single switch).	Login or register to see the instructions for this activity.	You may need to work with an occupational therapist to establish what type of switch a student can use - particularly if they have complex physical difficulties.
Making choices Pair of switches Motivating and un-motivating items/activities (see the activity "establishing motivators" above)	Login or register to see the instructions for this activity.	If they don't press a switch you may need to: Show the student by example; Guide their hand to the switch for the motivating item. Consistency of pressing Do they appear to be pressing one switch more than another, or do they appear to be choosing the switch randomly? Swapping the switches around from time to time will help you to know this. If they aren't consistent, you could try making the switches more different, for example: different colours; one larger than another; symbols which are more clearly different; different texture on the surface of each switch; You could also try: disabling the switch for the unmotivating option so that when it's clicked nothing happens (in case hearing the voice from this switch is in itself motivating).

indicates yes given a choice

Activity/strategy name and materials required	How to do the activity	Key principles for doing the activity and comments
Indicating 'Yes' An undesirable food item A favourite toy Two helpers	1. Sit the child at a table with one communicator adult in front and one helper behind the child. 2. Offer the child an undesirable item and wait for the child to reject this. Then offer an item you know the child likes - either food or a toy - say 'Do you want this?' The communicator adult models acceptance by smiling, nodding and saying 'Yes'. The helper adult gently takes the child's head and makes a nod to indicate 'Yes' at the same time. The helper adult does not speak. 3. Continue until the child has learnt to indicate 'Yes' in an acceptable way. 4. Vary the items offered to the child. The child is automatically rewarded for indicating 'Yes' by getting the desired item.	Saying 'Yes' is more difficult for most children than saying 'No'. Work in short sharp bursts. When the skills for rejecting and accepting look as though they are understood extend the skill to lunch hour choices or playground choices of toys etc.

indicates no given a choice

Activity/strategy name and materials required	How to do the activity	Key principles for doing the activity and comments
Indicating 'No' An undesirable food item A favourite toy Two helpers	1. Sit the child at a table with one communicator adult in front and one helper behind the child. 2. The communicator adult offers the child a short play with the toy and then says 'finished'. 3. The communicator adult offers the child the undesirable food item - what ever you know the child dislikes - and says 'do you want this?'. The communicator adult models 'No' and shakes her/his head and holds up a hand to show 'No'. The helper adult gently shakes the child's head from behind but does not say anything. 4. The communicator adult takes away the undesirable food item and offers the child time to play with the toy again. 5. Repeat the process over and over again until the child starts to shake his/her own head or hold up a hand or say 'No' or a mix of all three to indicate rejection. 6. When the child starts to indicate 'No' acceptably reward immediately. 7. When the child reliably rejects one item move on and work on rejecting a different item - maybe not food.	The object of this activity is to give the child an acceptable way of rejecting things without having a tantrum. Only offer undesirable items you don't mind the child rejecting. Work on this activity in pairs for short sharp bursts. Children usually start to indicate 'No' before indicating 'Yes'. The sign for "no" in Signalong and Makaton is working flat hand held in front of the body facing forward, pointing up, moves sharply to the working side.

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