Real Pictures

Here are a couple pictures I took to use for a client that only had about 5 words in their vocabulary and wasn't picking sign up very well. The client and her parents were getting very frustrated. The real pictures worked well and decreased tantrums and acting out alot!

Sometimes with clients that aren't talking and it's causing alot of frustrations for the child and parents I will take pictures of things/items/food they frequently request at home. They then use these pictures of "real items" to request their desired treat, toy, etc. I always have the parents model the word when the child uses the picture as communication. But this is the easiest form of communicating for a young, nonverbal child. This allows them to learn that communication=power! If they communicate their wants and needs they will get what they want/need. This can be a great bridge for non-speaking children while they are learning to speak. It's also very useful for children with Autism because they are usually very visual.

You can shrink the pictures down and laminate to make them easier to use for long term use. If it's just a "bridge" for a pretty little one that hasn't started speaking yet you might just want to save yourself the time and just use the actual picture or laminate the picture at regular size.