Disagreeing Without Ending the Conversation
Disagreement practiced as something the conversation survives: each card asks for the disagreement and for the move that keeps the other person in it.
Session summary (SOAP)
Stays on this screen. Nothing is saved or sent.
Mark a card Correct, Correct with cue or Incorrect and the summary writes itself here.
How to run it
Play the partner on each card and actually disagree back, because a scripted answer to no pushback is not the skill. The repeat their point back card is worth doing early and returning to; it slows the exchange and makes the rest easier. The disagree about something that does not matter card is good for students who argue every point, since the decision about whether to say it is part of the skill. Twenty minutes covers four or five cards properly.
Cueing ladder
Start at the top. Add support one step at a time.
- IndependentSet up the situation and wait for the student to respond on their own.Log as correct
- Nonverbal cueUse a look, a gesture or a point to the visual cue card.Log as cued
- Indirect promptAsk 'What could you say now?' or 'How do you think they feel?'Log as cued
- ModelShow what to say or do, then run the moment again so the student can try it.Log as cued
Adjust it
Give a script or two choices of what to say, and practise with you before a peer.
Role-play with a new partner, or add a twist the student has not planned for.
Matching IEP goal
In structured role-plays, Student will use the target conversation skill appropriately in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 consecutive sessions, given no more than a nonverbal cue.
Send it home through the parent portal →About this activity
Ten situations where disagreeing is the task and keeping the conversation going is the harder part: say you disagree without using the word no first; disagree about where to eat and end with a plan you both accept; correct a classmate without embarrassing them; repeat your partner's point back before you answer it; you are outvoted, say what you think, then agree to the group's plan. Students who either go silent or dig in both need this.
What to listen for
Listen for whether the other person is still in the conversation at the end. A student can disagree politely and still leave nowhere to go. On the classmate who says something factually wrong card, notice whether the correction is private or public. On the outvoted card, watch for sulky agreement versus a genuine I still think X, but let's do it. Note whether the student can disagree twice in a row without repeating the same sentence louder.
Carrying it home
Pick low-stakes disagreements at home, such as what to watch or what to eat, and name the move out loud: tell me your reason first. Adults modelling I see it differently, here is why, makes the phrasing familiar before it is needed with friends.
What's in this activity
- Your partner states an opinion you disagree with. Say so without using the word “no” first.
- Disagree with a friend about where to eat, and end with a plan you both accept.
- A classmate says something factually wrong in front of others. Correct it without embarrassing them.
- Disagree with an adult about a rule. Say your reason before your request.
- Your partner disagrees with you. Repeat their point back before you answer it.
- Disagree twice in a row about the same thing without repeating yourself.
- You are outvoted. Say what you actually think, then agree to the group's plan.
- Somebody keeps interrupting your disagreement. Say what you do.
- Disagree about something that does not matter, then decide out loud whether it was worth saying.
- A friend asks whether you liked something you did not. Answer honestly and kindly.
Questions
- What grades is this for?
- Fifth through twelfth grade, for pragmatic and social communication goals.
- Is it free?
- Yes. The cards play free in the browser. An account adds session data, goal scoring and assignment.
- Is the aim to agree more?
- No. The aim is for the student to say what they actually think in a way that keeps the other person talking. Several cards reward disagreeing honestly.
Use this board with your caseload
With a free account, every correct, cued and incorrect mark is saved to the student and scored against their IEP goal, with the data written up for you. Assign it as home practice through the parent portal.
Track progress freeFree for SLPs. No card, no trial clock.