Transfer requests to different conditions

Why this matters

A request truly works when it is not tied to one person, one room and one table. Transfer is when the learner brings the communicator to a parent in the kitchen, to a grandparent, outdoors, on a visit. Without transfer the skill stays an "exercise" rather than communication.

How to introduce

1. 1Change the listener: let the request be received not only by whoever taught it, but by other close people too.
2. 2Change the place: repeat the same requests in different rooms, outdoors, while visiting relatives.
3. 3Support the "go and fetch the communicator" routine: the learner picks up the tablet and walks over to the right person with it.

How to advance

Once requests transfer across people and places, keep expanding the vocabulary — to about twenty requests.

Common mistakes

• Keeping the communicator tied to one place and one adult.
• Moving on to transfer while the requests themselves are not working yet.

Examples

• The same request "drink" — with a parent at home, with a grandparent, on a walk.
• The learner brings the tablet from another room to make a request.