#297: Supporting Functional Communication Skills with Ashley Whitaker

Functional communication is about more than getting a learner to request. It’s about helping them communicate what they want and need spontaneously, across people, places, and real-life situations.Ashley Whitaker joins me to share practical clinical shifts that can make a big difference for autistic learners, especially those who are prompt dependent or seem stuck in their communication progress. We talk about why a simple prompt like “What do you want?” can unintentionally become a barrier to spontaneous communication, and how we can create a stronger connection between motivation and independent requesting.We also dig into data collection and why tracking both prompted and spontaneous communication gives us valuable information about whether a learner needs more opportunities or a change in programming. Ashley shares practical ways to build communication opportunities throughout the day without making every interaction feel like a structured therapy trial.Finally, we explore speech clarity and teaching functional communication before moments of escalation. When learners practice responses like “more time,” “all done,” or “no” outside of crisis situations, we can help them build communication skills they can actually access when they need them most.#autism #speechtherapyWhat’s Inside:Reducing verbal prompts to encourage spontaneous communicationUsing prompted and independent communication data to guide programmingSupporting speech clarity with slower, exaggerated vocal modelsPracticing functional communication before escalation occursMentioned In This Episode:VB-MAPPThe Verbal Behavior ApproachLighthouse Autism CenterSay It With Me by Rose GriffinAAC Mastery for SLPs and BCBAsEarn CEUs with a community of peers. Join the ABA Speech ConnectionABA Speech: Home