Oops! How to Use Sabotage to Get A Toddler to Communicate
Sometimes bouts of forgetfulness or mistakes can spark language!
In my best-selling book, My Toddler Talks, I refer to this language tempting strategy as “Oops!”
It’s described as forgetting something essential or skipping an important step in a routine as a way to entice a child to communicate. This is because most toddlers know when a routine has been violated and want to point out the mistake.
While “Oops!” may not sound scientific it is based upon a popular and evidence-based milieu training method known as sabotage or environmental sabotage.
Researchers have found environmental sabotage to be effective in teaching skills to children, even those with severe disabilities and autism spectrum disorder, in various settings, like the home setting (Calculator, 2002; Brennan et al., 2021).
The premise or goal of “oops” or sabotage is to create a situation or to enhance or manipulate the environment to promote change in a child’s language and give the child an opportunity to communicate.
Basically, we’re creating a problem on purpose.
Maria Papageorgiou, MS, CCC-SLP, speech language pathologist at the Kennedy Krieger School in Maryland, explained how they use sabotage to teach job skills to students with developmental disabilities,
“It’s a way we set up situations that may cause a little communication frustration but not result in communication failure” (Hutchins, 2019, para 15).
She goes on to explain that the supports and prompts are gradually faded to increase student independence.
Recently, in a speech therapy session, my client and I were playing the game, Hungry Hippos. I accidentally put the balls in the wrong spot preventing proper game play. My “Oops” naturally created an opportunity for the child to communicate. A child who is learning to talk could respond to my mistake with a wide range of different communications.
They could:
Look at me and wonder - what the heck is Ms. Kim doing?
Grunt and point to the balls to indicate that I put them in the wrong place.
Say a word like “No!” or “There!” or blurt out an early word combination like “No here”.
This communication opportunity authentically presented itself but often times during my sessions with children who are late talkers, have language delays, or speech and language disorders, I have to intentionally set up such situations to promote communication.
Oops or sabotage is particularly effective in increasing the rate of communication exchanges in children who have a low rate of communication exchange or initiation.
This is a child who may not readily engage with others or share his or her experiences or emotions. A child with low rate of communication exchanges may play with a new toy for long periods of time without showing you the toy or sharing his or her delight in how it works. Because this child does not communicate frequently, he or she has less access to linguistic input (Roberts et al., 2014). The parent, caregiver, or childcare provider has fewer opportunities to provide respond with words and give linguistic input. Therefore, we must increase communication opportunities for this child.
What’s a good way to create such opportunities?
Using oops or sabotage!
If a child is playing with a toy and the toy no longer performs in an expected way (e.g. lights up, vibrates, or spins when a button is pushed) he or she may cry, scream, hit, or give you the toy to fix. The adult can then take this an occasion to provide words to map language onto the child’s nonverbal communication act (Roberts et al., 2014).
We can use sabotage with this child by playfully stopping the toy from properly functioning because we anticipate that he or she would like to continue to play with this toy. However, it is important to remember to use words to express the child’s feelings, needs, or wants. For instance, “You want the toy on?” On. Push on.” You say this while pushing the on button. Or you use whatever words are appropriate for the situation.
How can you use “Oops!” or Sabotage to create opportunities to communicate?
Some examples include:
Forgetting a needed item or something important for a daily routine (like shoes when going outside, giving your child cereal, but forgetting to give him a spoon)
Putting an article of clothes on the wrong way
Playing with a toy incorrectly or playing with a toy that is missing an important part (like a car or truck that is missing its wheels)
Hiding a desired object (e.g. favorite book or toy) or needed object (e.g. lunchbox, water thermos, etc.) or place it in view but out of reach
Stopping highly preferred videos and waiting expectantly for a response
Some Final Words of Advice:
Don’t create frustration. Creating a situation that is too challenging or anxiety producing (e.g. hiding his shoes before a stressful outing) will not promote joyful communication exchanges. Think - how can I create opportunities so my child delights in communicating with me!
Observe how your child reacts when you use sabotage or oops. If your child is not communicating yet, this is important because a look, a gesture, or a sound might be missed if you’re simultaneously cooking dinner.
Integrate the technique into your daily routines so the technique is not disruptive to the flow of your day or activity
Consider how willing are you to carry out this technique during your day. Implementing this technique at home, in classrooms, or in therapy sessions may require some foresight, creative thinking, and planning.
Remember that independent and functional communication is our ultimate goal.
As always, I hope this post has been helpful. Please share with friends, family members, and fellow SLPs.
If you’re looking for more ways to use Oops or sabotage during play routines, grab my book, My Toddler Talks: Strategies and Activities to Promote Your Child’s Language Development. It’s loaded with step-by-step play routines to get your toddler talking. My Toddler’s First Words: A Step-by-Step Guide to Jump-Start, Track, and Expand Your Toddler’s Language is the perfect choice for a more in-depth, advanced guide on language development and techniques.
References:
Brennan, C., Weintraub, H., Tennant, S., & Meyers, C. (2021). Speech, language, and communication deficits and intervention in a single case of pediatric autoimmune encephalitis. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 30(11),2350-2367.
Calculator, S.N. (2002). Use of enhanced natural gestures to foster interactions between children with angelman syndrome and their parents. American Journal of Speech-Language Pathology, 11(11), 340-355.
Hutchins, S.D. (2019). A communication bridge from school to work. The ASHA Leader. https://leader.pubs.asha.org/doi/10.1044/leader.LML.24012019.28
Roberts, M.Y., Kaiser, A.P., Wolfe, C.E., Bryant, J.D., & Spidalieri, A.M. (2014). Effects of the teach-model-coach-review instructional approach on caregiver use of language support strategies and children’s expressive language skills. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 57(10), 1851-1869.