Phase 6: Commenting in Response to a Question

PECS training to this point has focused on the communicative function of requesting–asking for and getting what you want. The purpose of Phase 6 is to teach a new communicative function, that of labeling or naming things. This involves listening and responding to another person’s request for information. This is an important step in the development of communication skills is often difficult for children and youth with ASD.

Preparation

To introduce Phase 6 you need a number of items the student already has in her requesting vocabulary, the pictures associated with the items and a new symbol to represent the concept “I see.” These items should be familiar to the student but not be the most highly desired objects. The “I see” symbol is on the cover of the student’s communication book.

Introducing commenting in response to a question

The adult holds one of the training items, then places the “I see” symbol, the picture representing the item and the sentence strip on the communication book. The adult holds up the item and asks “What do you see?,” then points to the “I see” symbol on the book. If the student does not pick up the “I see” symbol, the adult physically guides him to pick it up and place it on the sentence strip. The adult then waits 5 seconds to see if the student will pick up the picture of the item she is holding and place it on the sentence strip. If the child assembles the sentence strip and gives it to the adult, the adult responds with “Yes, you see a “___.” and gives the student a reinforcer unrelated to the item she is holding. If the student does not assemble the strip, the adult guides him to do so and responds as above. Then the adult holds up another item (having placed the corresponding picture on the board) and again asks, “What do you see?” using the same procedure. The adult fades cues as quickly as possible until the student is able to assemble and use the “I see” symbol to respond to the question. It is very important that the item being commented on is NOT used as the reinforcer when teaching a response to “What do you see?” If the student were given that item, the function of the communication would be a request rather than a comment.

Gradually increase the number of pictures and items so that the student must discriminate between pictures and assemble the sentence strip in order to respond to “What do you see?” New vocabulary items may be added and taught in this manner during Phase 6. Training in responding to “What do you see?” should take place during defined training sessions until the student is able to respond reliably with a variety of symbols.

Teaching differentiated responses to questions

Once the student is able to respond reliably to “What do you see?,” the trainer begins to intermix the questions “What do you see?” with “What do you want?” in order to teach differentiated responses. At this point the “I see” symbol is placed below the “I want” symbol in the upper left-hand corner of the communication book. The trainer gives the student the requested item when he uses “I want ___,” and verbally acknowledges while providing alternative reinforcement when he uses “I see ___.” If possible, progress from tangible to social reinforcement for the student’s correct responses to “What do you see?” Responses to these questions are generalized to a variety of partners and environments.

The outcome to Phase 6 is for the child to appropriately answer randomly asked questions, including “What do you want?” “What do you see?” “What do you hear?” “What do you have?”

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Key Points

In Phase 6 you begin to teach commenting, a new communicative function

• Begin teaching responses to a question with familiar but not highly desired items
• Never use the item you are asking the student to label as the reinforcer for a correct response
• Teach and practice response to a question during a training session, then generalize to other environments

Helpful Tips:

It is often helpful to use materials that you know are interesting to the child in a new activity when teaching a student to comment on what they see. Ideas include

• Make different stuffed animals appear from behind a screen
• Use hide-and-seek books such as the Spot series where the pictures are hidden under flaps in the book
• Put familiar objects in sealed clear containers, and then put them inside a cloth bag.
• Pull a container out of the bag, show it to the child and ask, “What do you see?”
• Hang objects of interest to the child from the ceiling
• Go on a walk and ask the student what he sees in the school hallway or out-of-doors