Stage Four
Planning, reasoning, negotiating and questioning
Last updated
Copyright 2023 Ace Centre
Planning, reasoning, negotiating and questioning
Last updated
The vocabulary at Stage Four continues to encourage the linking of ideas. It now supports and encourages planning, reasoning, negotiating and questioning to a far greater degree.
The learner is confidently linking symbols together. They are using many of the core vocabulary symbols from Stage Three in their communication.
All core vocabulary is presented on a core page which can either be accessed at the front of the book or from the loose sheet. There is no longer any core visible whilst using topic pages.
VIDEO: This video (also shown at Stage Three) demonstrates how the loose page of core symbols can be used.
This frees up more space for topic vocabulary - each page now has thirty-three cells available (three cells are always taken up with future, past and Menu / Core). However, you can always replicate particularly useful core vocabulary symbols on a topic page. Just remember to keep the position the same if you can, and if not, at least keep the border colour consistent. With the core vocabulary page now fully hidden by the topic pages, your role in promoting, encouraging and modelling use of core vocabulary becomes more important than ever.
As discussed at Stage Three, if using a shared Menu / Core symbol is causing confusion, you could separate these out onto two separate cells.
Stage Four core symbols if, because and turn and the already familiar first and then facilitate reasoning, negotiating and planning. Consider setting up situations to demonstrate these symbols in action or create opportunities for their use. For example, you could model and demonstrate the value of negotiation: “if you do your homework, then you can watch TV.”
Note that if and because do not have a symbol above them. This is because any symbol associated with these words is sufficiently abstract (normally just a squiggle or shape) that the learner is usually better off just learning the shape of the word itself. They will also be helped to learn its meaning by the position of the word remaining constant on the page and by watching you point to the word as you chat. However, do support these words with a symbol if you feel it would be of benefit to the learner.
Stage Four core vocabulary now expands can to can,could and introduces the useful verb am,are,is,be.
The demonstration pages at Stage Four (click here to view) contain some developed example pages for a range of useful types of symbols including action word symbols (Page 4 actions), describing word symbols (Page 9 describe), position word symbols (Page 12 positions) and little words (Page 5 little words). It will be important to model both the symbols and where to find them in the learner's book.
As always, the vocabulary on these demonstration pages can be changed to meet the learner’s needs. You might want to start with a smaller number of symbols and slowly build up to the amount shown on the examples. You might also choose to introduce these pages gradually rather than presenting all of them at once, perhaps starting with Page 4 actions and Page 9 describe before introducing Page 5 positions and / or Page 12 little words. Incorporating the vocabulary on these pages into the learner’s communication requires more page turns. However, it will enable the learner to communicate richer ideas.
Rather than just asking questions about very concrete things in the ‘here and now’, questioning at Stage Four begins to search out information and seek to understand the reasons behind actions. The question symbol remains part of the core page to facilitate this. However, you may also want to provide a page of question word symbols like Page 6 questions to support the development of questioning. You will need to model these symbols extensively yourself in conversation together before expecting the learner to make use of them independently.
VIDEO: We join Sophie mid way through asking a question. [Sophie is using an alternative eight location layout - see below.]
On all Stage Four topic pages there are now two options to set the tense of what is being communicated – future and past. For example, someone might communicate “I angry” and then select past to clarify that they were angry. Or someone might communicate “I go cinema” and select future to clarify that they are going to go to the cinema. You will need to model this a lot before expecting the learner to make use of these complex symbols.
As communication moves away from the ‘here and now’, the potential for communication breakdown increases substantially! Don’t panic if it all goes wrong. Just acknowledge the situation, perhaps pointing to the problem symbol or commenting oh no!.
You will see a quick link to Page 1 spelling on all topic pages so that the learner can always quickly access the alphabet without having to go via the Menu Page. As shown on Page 16 care and Page 16c make up, you may also want to bring in additional quick links to related topic pages. For example, you could add a quick link to a sports or football page to Page 14b pub if the learner enjoys watching sports at the pub, or a clothing page might contain a quick link to a colours page.
You may find that you can begin to gently stretch the learner. Help them to develop their ideas by asking for further information. For example, if they share some information with you, you could ask, “how did it happen?”.
VIDEO: Tamsin’s mum encourages Tamsin to develop her ideas by asking her questions and then prompting Tamsin to ask her a question. [Tamsin communicates ‘yes’ by looking left and ‘no’ by looking right]
If you are working with a learner who enjoys imaginative play, you may find you can extend this, bringing in more of a story to what you are doing together. Toys and activities that encourage more imaginative play such as garages, doll’s houses, train sets, farms and tea sets, to name but a few, may prove useful. Bear in mind that this more developed imaginative play might result in the learner needing more thinking time before eye pointing to a symbol. You may find the choosing look strategy introduced at Stage Three helpful here.
Creative writing or story telling can also be a great way of exploring new vocabulary and experimenting with linking symbols without the time pressure that may be associated with a conversation.
Remember that the Menu Page provided is only an example. You will need to update and adapt this to meet the learner’s needs. The worksheet in Appendix Four may help.
If a learner has very good visual acuity and is a confident and accurate eye pointer, you may want to consider an alternative page layout which involves eight groups of eight symbols per page. This busy page layout gives the learner access to many more topic symbols per page which may improve the fluency of communication. However, it can be harder for the communication partner to follow what is being eye pointed to and may be quite daunting for less familiar communication partners.
This is an example of what Page 19 food & drink might look like using this form of eight colour encoding. As there are so many cells available, some of the Stage Four vocabulary can always be displayed on the left hand side.
Try making a page for the learner around a familiar and motivating activity and see how you both get on with it. Don’t give up too soon – it will take both of you time to become familiar with this layout.
Continue to make the book available, encouraging and promoting its use.
Ensure the learner has a means of requesting the book.
Continue to support new communication partners in learning how to use this way of communicating.
Continue to develop topic pages that contain plenty of relevant action and describing symbols. Quick links to related topic pages could also be included. The worksheet in Appendix Five will help with this.
Continue to model how to find and use vocabulary within the book, including linking core and topic symbols to create rich ideas.
Watch, comment as you model, wait expectantly and respond remain valuable strategies.
Continue to add to what they say to support the development of their language, but don’t worry about being grammatically correct.
Continue to sum up after an activity. You could extend this by encouraging the learner to share this information with others. You could start the summing up then wait expectantly to see if the learner joins in and takes over.
Allow plenty of time for the repetition that is such an important part of learning.
Consider setting up situations to demonstrate the power of the new core symbols.
Model use of the past and future symbols as you chat.
Help the learner to develop their ideas by asking for further information.
Continue to make use of Page 1 spelling yourself within conversations and encourage its use by the learner.
To begin to initiate use of the communication book.
To be able to locate and use a topic page then return to the Menu Page.
To include some links of at least three symbols in their communication.
To include a wide range of symbol types (e.g. actions, describing words, etc.) when linking symbols.
To use the Stage Four core symbols, including those that enable them to negotiate, reason, plan and question.
To begin to use the past and future symbols to modify a message.
To continue to use Page 1 spelling within structured activities and if their literacy skills permit, to begin to support their communication.
Look2Talk Demonstration Pages contain example communication book pages that aim to bring to life the practices and principles described above. Click here to try interactive demonstration pages for Stage Four. To experience fuller functionality, download the interactive demonstration pages from Ace Centre's website here.
A sample of the Stage Four Alternative layout can also be viewed by clicking here.
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You can also check our website to see if Look2Talk courses are currently available and to see other training opportunities around communication partner skills, AAC and access methods in general by clicking here to visit Ace Centre Learning.
