Communication Temptations in Speech and Language Therapy
Support early language development through simple, effective interaction strategies.
Communication Temptations is a commonly used strategy in Early Intervention. By creating opportunities for children to initiate, request, and respond, we can support meaningful communication within everyday routines and play.
What are Communication Temptations?
Communication temptations are small, intentional changes we make to the environment or interaction to encourage a child to communicate. Rather than prompting directly, we create a situation where communication becomes meaningful and necessary.
They can be easily introduced during caregiver coaching sessions, whether following play-based or routine-based approaches.
Communication Temptation FAQs
What are Communication Temptations in Speech Therapy?
Communication Temptations is a strategy where you structure or manipulate the environment in such a way that the child has the opportunity to use spontaneous communication with another person, in order to get a desired item/result.
Communication Temptations come under the umbrella term ‘Environmental Arrangement’. Environmental Arrangement refers to the way we set up the child’s physical and social environment to encourage communication and interaction (i.e., they create communication opportunities) (Brillault-Kenny and King, 2023).
When should I use Communication Temptations?
You can use communication temptations during play, daily routines, and everyday interactions. They work best when embedded naturally into activities the child already enjoys.
Are Communication Temptations suitable for late talkers?
Yes. Communication Temptations are widely used in Early Intervention to support late talkers, helping them initiate communication, request, and engage more actively.
Communication Temptations is a General Language Facilitation/Stimulation technique. General language stimulation involves making changes to the physical and linguistic environments in order to increase the opportunities for the child to hear developmentally appropriate language.
Research (Buschmann et al., 2009, and colleagues, cited by Finestack and Fay, 2013, in Rescorla and Dale, 2013) has shown that there is strong evidence to support the use of general language stimulation techniques with late talkers.
How can I use Communication Temptations in caregiver coaching sessions?
During caregiver coaching sessions, you can work with the parent/caregiver to identify suitable opportunities for using Communication Temptations. This may be during play or daily routines.
Encourage the parent/caregiver to take the lead and to choose those that will work best for their child/family/routines; this helps to support carryover between sessions.
Then, coach the parent/caregiver to use the strategy effectively while they interact with their child.
Can parents use Communication Temptations at home?
Absolutely. These strategies are simple, flexible, and designed to fit into real-life routines like playtime, mealtimes, and daily activities.
Why use Communication Temptations in Speech Therapy?
Communication temptations help children:
- Initiate communication independently
- Communicate with purpose
- Stay engaged in interaction
- Build confidence in communication
They also support caregivers to recognise and respond to communication opportunities in everyday routines.
Want to learn more? Read this blog post for more information about Why and How to use Communication Temptations in your Speech Therapy sessions.
Examples of Communication Temptations
Using Communciation Temptations in Caregiver Coaching
During caregiver coaching sessions, you can work with the parent/caregiver to identify suitable opportunities for using Communication Temptations. This may be during play, daily routines, or a mix of both.
Top Tip: Encourage the parent/caregiver to take the lead and to choose the Communication Temptations that will work best for their child/family/routines; this helps to support carryover between sessions because they have taken ownership of the strategies.
You can then coach caregivers to use Communication Temptations with their child during the session. Be sure to provide opportunities for problem solving and reflection in your coaching sessions. This helps move beyond therapist-led sessions and supports carryover between sessions.
Resources to Support Communication Temptations
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