Choose the first requests

Why this matters

At the start the communicator solves one task — letting the learner quickly get what they want. So the first cards are chosen not by what is convenient for the adult, but by what motivates the learner. Once they see that tapping a card brings the desired thing, communication kicks off. Build in balance from day one across three kinds of stimuli: food, items and toys, actions — otherwise the vocabulary slides into a single list (usually food). The volume to aim for at this step is about ten requests: for visual card-based systems the research suggests introducing roughly that many, not one or two.

How to introduce

1. 1Watch what the learner already chooses on their own: which foods, toys and activities they enjoy. Those are the candidates for the first requests.
2. 2Collect stimuli across three kinds: food (apple, muffin, juice), items and toys (phone, ball, stacking rings, cartoon), actions (open, pour, bring, hug, spin, chase).
3. 3Check the balance and grow the list to about ten requests: if it is all food, add items and actions. A card counts as introduced when the learner uses it themselves in daily life, rather than copying the adult.

How to advance

Once you have about ten requests balanced across the three kinds and the learner uses them independently, move on to the next goal: transferring requests to different people and places.

Common mistakes

• The "restaurant menu": a list made only of food. That is not communication, just a list of convenient items. You need balance across kinds of stimuli.
• Putting into the first requests what the adult needs (toilet, "do lessons") rather than what the learner wants. It is not their need, so the request will not stick.
• Confusing "ask for" with "point out": at the start the communicator is about getting the desired thing, not naming an object.
• Counting a card as introduced while the learner is not using it on their own initiative.

Examples

• Food: apple, muffin, juice.
• Items and toys: phone, ball, stacking rings, cartoon.
• Actions: open, rewind, stop, hug, chase, pick me up.