About this activity
Twelve situations rather than twelve words. A friend walks in. What do you say? The teacher says good morning. Someone waves at you across the room. The bus driver opens the door. Your friend is leaving early. Greetings are usually taught as a single symbol drilled out of context, which is why they so often fail to show up when someone actually walks in — this board puts the situation first.
How to use it in a session
Read the scenario, then wait. The waiting is doing most of the work; a prompt delivered two seconds in teaches the student to wait for prompts. Act the scenarios out where the room allows — walk in the door, wave from across the room — because a greeting is a response to a person and not to a card. End with the last card, saying goodbye to three real people, which is the only one that leaves the room.
What to listen for
Notice the difference between a greeting produced on request and one produced on time. A student who greets after you point at the device has a prompted response; a student who greets as the person arrives has the skill. Watch for over-greeting too — some students, having learned it is rewarded, greet the same person repeatedly. Both directions are worth noting.
Carrying it home
Greetings are the easiest AAC target to practise at home because the opportunities arrive by themselves. Ask the family to pause in the doorway for a few seconds when they come in, so there is room for a greeting to happen rather than a hello that has already gone past.
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- Kindergarten through fifth, though the scenarios work for any student learning to greet on time rather than on request.
- Is it free?
- Yes — the whole board plays with no account and no card.
- My student greets everyone repeatedly. Is that a problem?
- It is usually a sign the greeting has been well reinforced and under-contextualized. Work on the closing phrases in this set, which give the student somewhere for the exchange to end.