Conversation is something that flows naturally for many of us. But for some kids with delays and disabilities, conversational skills may be abstract and nuanced. One tool our Fort Myers speech therapists use to help practice conversational skills is through “scripts.”

Scripts can help kids learn how to appropriately initiate, maintain, extend and end social and conversational exchanges. These can be used to talk about special interests, participate in activities, engage in classroom activities and more. Conversational scripts take it a step beyond simple requesting and can help children recognize and understand the organization, guidelines and boundaries of everyday conversation.

As always, we tailor our techniques to the way each child learns, beginning with engaging topics about which they’re interested.

Some examples of when we might utilize conversational scripts:

• The child needs help staying on topic, particularly when it’s non-preferred.
• The child needs help understanding when it’s their turn to speak and what is being asked of them (particularly common with receptive language deficits).
• The child monopolizes conversations or constantly interrupts, never allowing others a chance to contribute.

Fort Myers Speech Therapists Tailor Our Tools to the Child 

A conversational script helps the lessons “stick” for both visual and auditory learners. Just like actors in a play, it’s a teaching tool that allows kids to practice conversations they’re likely to have.

Parents of children on the autism spectrum may be familiar with a child who regularly engages in “scripting,” which is when a child with autism routinely recites lines from video games, movies or books. Conversation scripts are visual cues that often use speech bubbles describing an exchange of conversation between two or more individuals. Our Fort Myers speech therapists have found them to be very useful tools in teaching and reinforcing important social skills kids will use in everyday life.

For a younger child, we might start with very basic “Yes/No” questions. The question might be, “Are you scared of storms?” We might include a visual picture of a storm and/or several emojis. We then include a visual reminder to listen. Last, we’d follow with two visual options of how to answer, either, “Yes, I’m scared of storms,” or “No, I’m not scared of storms.”