Go Ape! 10 Commenting Communication Temptations

More About Communication Opportunities:

It doesn’t matter your personality, but for students who do not naturally comment, you need to go ape!  And then still, you need to teach with wait & signal cues, visual supports, aided language input, modeling, expansions, and positive feedback.  We will never forget a semester with Mikey and our hair clips of butterflies, whales, dinosaurs, and even a spider. These hair clips allowed for the item to hang in our face…… until Mikey commented and we could ‘go ape’ with surprise.

A great strategy to use with commenting communication temptations is  Wait & Signal.  Wait and Signal involves setting up the temptation and then pausing with raised eyebrows like you expect the learner to take a ‘turn/a conversational turn’. As always, make sure the learner has access to the appropriate communication device or communication boards.

 10 additional commenting communication temptations and opportunities:

1. Move a huge stuffed animal to the middle of a room
2. Wear a big big hat– Think Dr. Seuss or Goofy
3. Put on a clown nose 
4. Read really cool Pop Up books
5. Have a super big interesting (to the child) statue on a table that you sit at or pass by
6. Hang a new enticing picture upside down
7. Come in on stilts or skates or clown shoes
8. Move an important piece of furniture 
9. Put on those big glasses with the mustache attached (works especially well if you traditionally wear regular glasses)
10. Wear an ape suit

Please tell us what you have used for commenting communication temptations. We will compile a list and repost.  The more ideas the better…..