[blindkid] how do you teach a child to say yes?

Debbie Gabe gabe808 at hawaiiantel.net
Thu Jul 28 03:03:48 UTC 2011


I used to be an audiologist at a children's hospital in Honolulu for 26 years, where I worked with young deaf children and their families, teaching them to teach the kids language. 
What you want to do is to model the correct behavior, rather than making it into a type of punitive thing.
So, If you ask "Do you want a cookie?", and he imitates "cookie", then you should say 
"yes. You want a cookie" So model and expand the statement. Do this all the time, all day long. He'll eventually get it.
That's a better approach than to tell him to say it again. That approach never works. Just keep it very positive with modeling and expansions, and he'll get it.
Good luck
Debbie

-----Original Message-----
From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On Behalf Of Barbara Hammel
Sent: Wednesday, July 27, 2011 7:21 PM
To: blindkid at nfbnet.org
Subject: [blindkid] how do you teach a child to say yes?

Our semiverbal twin has “no thank you please” down pat.  He uses it very appropriately but if he wants the thing we’re asking him about he’ll just repeat the name of the thing.
I’m just wondering if anyone has ideas about how to choose between yes and no.  For example “do you want a beef stick?”  The inferred choices are yes and no but he doesn’t know what to do with that kind of question.  So far, I’ve asked if he wants something and if he repeats it, I tell him we’re going to try again and I want you to say yes.  I repeat the question and say the y sound to prompt him before he has a chance to think of copying the requested item’s name.
I forgot the name of those books that nonverbal people use that has all the pictures of things and if you choose say the hurt picture, you’d turn to the correct page to point out a body part.  He needs to know how to say yes or no to be able to do the book with his teachers.
Would you say I’m on the right track, or do you have other tips for teaching this skill?
Barbara

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