Using Real Pictures To Target Conversation Skills

Real pictures are a staple in social language therapy sessions. With real pictures, you can break down emotions, facial expressions, problems and solutions, and so much more. In doing so, these pictures will lead to an infinite amount of conversation opportunities.

• Initiating conversation- Prompt the student to initiate conversation with you, the therapist, or with a peer. The student can initiate the conversation with a question, statement, comment, etc. to get the conversation started.
• Topic maintenance- Use an engaging picture to keep the student on topic. If the student strays, point to the picture, make a comment or ask a question about the picture, and continue with the conversation.
• Taking turns in a conversation- practice asking questions back and forth and making comments about the picture to keep the conversation going. Make it a game! How many turns can you take using a single picture?
• Asking questions- prompt the student to ask questions about the picture. What information does the student want to know about the person or what is going on in the picture?
• Answering questions- ask the student several questions about the picture. Use different questions types (who, what, where, etc.)

Every single one of those goals can be targeted using a single picture. You just have to find the right pictures to use! Read this blog post on how I find and store my pictures on my devices. Or for easy use, use the pictures I have found for each of the goals in my no print pragmatic language tool or my pragmatic language drill cards.

 Happy Speeching!

~Erin