Increasing Motivation to Communicate Presented by Tracy Vail,MS,CCC/SLP Let’s Talk Speech and Language Services, Inc

Reasons Why People Communicate To gain access to desired items or activities To gain access to desired items or activities To escape situations that are undesirable or uncomfortable. To escape situations that are undesirable or uncomfortable. To share experiences with other people To share experiences with other people To accomplish joint tasks To accomplish joint tasks To gain information from other people To gain information from other people

Factors Relating to Motivation to gain access to desired items and activities Degree of deprivation/satiation Degree of deprivation/satiation History of reinforcement with the object/activity History of reinforcement with the object/activity

Increasing the number of objects or activities the child will request Pair new items with reinforcement Pair new items with reinforcement Place little to no demands when interacting with new items. Place little to no demands when interacting with new items. Watch carefully to see what part or the object or activity the child enjoys Watch carefully to see what part or the object or activity the child enjoys Be sure to have yourself be part of the reinforcement of the toy. Be sure to have yourself be part of the reinforcement of the toy.

Pairing with Reinforcement

What part does the child enjoy?

Use Materials/Objects the child finds interesting

Factors Affecting Motivation for Social Communication Learning history with the individual and with people in general Learning history with the individual and with people in general Degree of interest in objects vs. people Degree of interest in objects vs. people

Learn How the Specific Child experiences the world and provide input the child finds reinforcing How does the child like to be touched? How does the child like to be touched? What types of sounds does the child enjoy? What types of sounds does the child enjoy? What types of movement does the child enjoy? What types of movement does the child enjoy? What does the child like to look at? What does the child like to look at? What does the child like to smell? What does the child like to smell?

BE the REINFORCER

Make sure you’re part of the play

Get on the child’s level

Build Pre-Verbal Social- Communicative Skills Eye gaze/facial gaze Eye gaze/facial gaze Shared affect Shared affect Joint attention to objects/activities Joint attention to objects/activities Give/handing an object to you Give/handing an object to you Pointing to/looking to objects and back to you (joint reference/shared reference) Pointing to/looking to objects and back to you (joint reference/shared reference)

Create Situations Where Information is Needed

Use Favorite Stories to Increase Requests

Using Language to Escape or Negotiate