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One of the key elements for successfully establishing a communication goal is the degree to which a student will work in order to get what he/she wants. Work routines, Play/Leisure activities and Snack are all potentially good areas for making assessments and setting up communication goals. Breaking an established routine or withholding a favorite activity or snack potentially creates an opportunity to teach communication. In the case of a student with limited verbal ability, such as Peter, the use of visuals in place of the verbal, makes a lot of sense. This is how the team working with Peter structured their activity during the training's focus on communication. When Peter transitioned to his Independent Work area from Play, he found Red Buttons in Water on his desk. However, instead of red buttons in the lid, there were 10 cardboard pictures of the button, large enough that they would not fit into the slot at the top of the tube. An adult, positioned behind Peter and another person at his side, were prepared to give him a button upon his request. The adult behind Peter helped him take one of the cardboard pictures and hand it to the adult at his side. “Button, please” was modeled verbally; and as soon as the cardboard picture was placed in the teacher’s hand, Peter was given a red button, which he readily enjoyed watching float down the tube. This process was repeated several more times before Peter began making the request himself, with a little help when distracted. By the eighth time, however, Peter was now able to verbalize his request, not needing any help in getting the remaining buttons.
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