Prompting Heirarchy:

Begin with the least amount of help, and only offer more after a pause and no results.

: Ask an open-ended question. “What can you tell me about this dinosaur?”  Pause.

“Maybe you should talk about the size of it.” Pause 10-15 seconds.

Example 2: I see that your hands are moving.   Tell me with your words.

: Tell them what you want to hear. “You might like to say it is big.”   Pause 10-15 seconds.  “Push the elephant, then the paintbrush to say ‘big’.”  Pause 10-15 seconds.

  Say it on the AAC system first, and the student will say the phrase after you do.   If not, pause 10-15 seconds, then request that he say it, too.

: Say, “I am going to help you say the words.” Put the student’s hand on the AAC system and walk through the target words hand over hand, or point to each icon the student must use. (We call this following the magic finger at home J)

How to use these prompts:

 A prompting strategy is used to consistently communicate to the child that you expect them to interact with you, and to provide the supports he needs to do so.   When you use a prompting strategy, you are directing the interaction toward the end goal of greater communication. While you are providing helps and supports, you refuse to play guessing games, rely on gestures or resort to yes/no questions to gain information.

What do I do if the prompts don’t work?

If the child is refusing to communicate in spite of your use of the prompting strategy, he can be given a time out or be ignored until he communicates (Using AAC) that he is ready to interact again. 

Why Pause?

Pausing is critical to give the child time for processing and motor planning to make a response.  Time yourself!