• Place desired or needed objects out of reach.
• Violate the normal routine, for example forget to put cups on the table or lose one of the person's shoes before gym.
• Provide the child a means of getting another person's attention, such as programming a switch with "I need help" and have it available for the child to use in an activity.
• Provide a way for the child to request the continuation of an activity such as, " I want more please" or "Let's do it again."
• Use a voice switch to activate a message over the phone to friends and relatives.

Calendar/Schedule Boxes

This strategy can be used for children with visual impairments or those with cognitive or multiple handicaps. Symbols are selected to represent each activity in the child's day, either at home, school, or both. The same objects should be used to represent the activities every time. A schedule box may be a series of shallow containers arranged from left to right with a discard box placed near the schedule. . Before each activity the child should be prompted or taken to the schedule box to get the object. It is best if the child uses the symbol at the beginning of the activity. When the activity is completed the child should put the symbol in the discard box and get the next object. A schedule box may provide an overview of the sequence of activities, provide information about what will happen next, introduce the child to the concept of symbolization, and/or make transitions from one activity to the next easier for the child.

Gesture Dictionary

A gesture dictionary holds descriptions of the child's gestures, along with their meanings and suggestions for appropriate responses. This may be a wall poster in the classroom / home, or a notebook.

Remnant Books

A remnant book provides a way for a beginning AAC user to tell people about past events. "Remnants" or scraps from activities are saved and inserted into a photo album or other book. The remnant should be something that is meaningful to the child and that he or she is able to associate with the place it came from (examples may be a movie ticket stub, a napkin, paper left over from an art activity). Put the remnant in the book on the page under the correct day of the week with the child, and write something about the remnant for the communication partner. Make the interactions fun and casual, encourage the child to vocalize, and make the book available to the child at all times so that he or she can initiate interactions by simply opening the book and pointing to remnants. Have a conversation about the place or activity the remnant represents when the child does initiate an interaction with the book or just get the book out with the child and go through it together to talk about what he or she has been doing. It is sort of like reading a story together, but it's the child's story.

Adapting toys

Any battery-operated device can be adapted to operate with a switch through the use of a battery adapter, which can be purchased or made with readily available materials. . Electrical appliances can be adapted through purchased devices which allow the user to control the flow of electricity through the touch of a switch Children can activate toys and appliances in several different modes. They can directly push the switch to activate the toy as long as the switch is depressed. A latched mode allows the child to press a switch to turn a device on and then press the switch again to turn it off. A timed mode activates the device, which operates continuously for a preset time. Small electrical appliances and switch assessable devices can be controlled remotely through ultrasonic or infrared signals. A transmitter sends a signal to its matching receiver and whatever is plugged into the receiver gets turned on. One way to increase the probability that toys will be played with is to make them easy to hold, carry, and manipulate. Activity frames, adjustable easels, learning boxes and other means of stabilizing and presenting manipulative toys can be used to make them accessible to children with limited hand and arm control. Toys can be attached to laptrays with Velcro or elastic cords so they are within reach. . Books can be adapted using small foam pieces or other fillers pasted to the corners to separate pages for easier turning. Small magnets or squares of Velcro can be attached to toys so that the child can then pick them up with a headstick or Velcro mitten.