Page 148 - Routines-Based Early Intervention Guidebook

Routines-Based Early Intervention Guidebook

Teaching Contrasting Skills 11.4

extremely powerful because they get to communicate what they don’t want. For

the very young or uncommunica ve, start with a single object that is physically

present or that you have a picture of (e.g., Do you want an apple?). Create a

green/red, yes/no, or smiley face/frowny face chart for them to pick from. This
can o en be frustra ng for a child if the object or ac vity that they want is not

presented. We acknowledge the child’s frustra on and con nue to work to

understand them. “I see you’re upset and don’t want an apple. Thank you for

telling me “no.” Do you want to eat? You do! Great. How about a banana? No. I
am sorry that I don’t know what you want today but these are your two choices.”

A er Yes/No ques on abili es are established, the child is ready to move on to

choosing between two objects.

Please note: In English, we see Yes/No ques ons as being quite simple because
they only require one of two answers which can be elicited with the shake of the

head. In other languages, such as Chinese, Yes/No ques ons are answered with

verbs or nouns and not “yes” or “no.” This is fundamentally more complex than

how we answer ques ons in English. For example:
Teacher: “Do you want to eat?”

Child: “Eat.” (affirma ve)

Teacher: “Do you want milk”

Child: “Not* milk.” (nega ve)
*can be a nega ve prefix or nega ve word such as “no.”
2. Physical Contras ng Games – Games that involve matching or grouping serve three

purposes. They teach a child to iden fy what something is by evalua ng what it is

not. They enhance categoriza on and descrip ve skills because the games are
typically thema c. They also drive a child to memorize or remember pa erns to be

successful. We have all used Matching and Memory decks of cards in fun ac vi es.

But have you leaned on them for teaching? Rather than the cartoon or TV show

versions, create matching decks for any academic concepts. Easier decks mix
knowledge groups (colors, numbers, shapes…) and more difficult decks stay within

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