Handout for: https://www.slideshare.net/Hennig_AAC/slide-share-communication-equation/1

1. Developed by Shannon Hennig, 2018
Demonstration - you (or a peer) do the activity step-by-step first. The person with autism just
WATCHES. This works better than explaining. They need to see all the steps and transitions
between steps.
Try again - go back to the start of the situation and start it again. Analogous to getting lost on
the road, it is better to go back to the starting point, rather than learn the way from where you
discovered you got lost and still not know how to get from point A to point B.
Video models - watch a video of a game /activity first so they can see the steps before having
to try it.
I do one, then you do one - Ask them, “who should do it, you or me?” This gives them
option to just watch and see what will happen. There is no pressure for them to try it until they
understand and feel ready.
Think-alouds – We can act like a sports commentator but about social things narrating key
details. For example: “you see how she is standing over there alone? And looking back and
forth at the game. I think she wants someone to ask if she wants to play.”

2. Developed by Shannon Hennig, 2018
Point out & highlight cues – during social activities, be like a social tour guide pointing out
the social cues you can easily notice but they are not seeing or noticing.
Cue cards - write down what they can say, then let them carry this note when they go to try out
the words in a real situation. Like a director feeding an actor a line.
1 -3 voice - if their voice is too loud or quiet, you can demonstrate a system of a “1 quiet voice, 2
medium voice, 3 voice”. Demonstrate all three and give feedback when their voice is too loud or
soft: "oh thanks for tell me X, but can you do that with a 2 voice?"
Keep promises - if you say X will happen, make it happen or explain that the situation
changed. If it is hard to learn to predict what will happen, if people say "5 more minutes" then
stop the activity at 2 or 15 minutes.
First Then – Let them know what will happen with simple “first ____, then _____” either
speech, visual supports, or by writing it down.
1 -5 scales - rather than an open ended question, say (and maybe write) down a scale to choose
from. “Does that make you a - 1 not at all scared - 3 a little scared - 5 really scared?”
Writing / saying a list of options that can they can consider and repeat verbatim in the
situation if they want that option- “Warm milk? Cold milk? or no milk?”
Thought bubbles -- draw out the situation and add speech and thought bubbles like in a comic
strip. Write in both what people said and what they might have been thinking (credit Carol Gray
– Comic Book Conversations)
Co planning - work as a team to figure out when and what they should do, and discuss possible
outcomes. Then do it together as a team.
Acknowledge, then respond – If you are going to say no, FIRST make sure they know you
understood what they are communicating by repeating it back. “You want 17 chocolate bars”.
THEN you respond: “I am sorry, not a choice right not” If you skip the acknowledge step, you
risk them needing to try a "louder" approach until they are sure you understood what they
meant.