Making Requests

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Making Requests: Video Summary

Everyone, including your child, needs to learn to ask for things that they need. There will be many times when what your child wants is in a cabinet, on a shelf too high for your child to reach, or your child does not know where something is. You can teach to your child to ask for things. This is often referred to as “making a request.”

• If your child is talking, teach them a simple phrase, such as “Help me get …”. Children who are not as verbal can be taught to say, “Help” and point to what they want or they can use pictures.
• Set up situations to practice. Place items above your child’s reach. When they move toward the item, help them point, say, “Help” or communicate with pictures. Then get the item and tell them that they did a good job asking. Put food in a container that must be opened. Help the child ask for the food.
• During meals, place a small amount of food on everyone’s plate. In that way, everyone needs to ask multiple times for food. This can be a good way to show the child how to ask for more food.
• Use a menu of toys. Have your child use the menu to ask for toys to play with.
• Read books about asking for things, such as:
  • You Get What You Get by Julie Gassman
  • Sam The Stubborn Seed by Karan Nada
• A video of a song about asking for help:
  
  View Video

Making Requests Visual Supports

Visual supports and pictures to help your child ask for things can be made using Google images, photographs, or drawings.

Download/Print Pre-Made Visual Supports

Article To Learn More About Making Requests

• If you would like to read more about how to teach your child to ask for things, click on the links below:
  • https://kghautismservices.com/strategies-for-increasing-requesting-at-home/
  • The following website gives more specific steps for how to teach your child to make a request:
    https://www.autismpartnershipsg.com/articles/communication-for-autism-make-requests-spontaneously/
    
    

Examples Of Making Requests Supports

Use a choice board of pictures for your child to select a snack. Teach your child to take off the picture and put it on the plate, then hand you the plate for you to place the snack on.

Some children need photographs and the actual objects to choose to ask for a snack. These photos and objects are velcroed to a board for the child to select and hand you their choice.

Offer options of toys that a child can select from. This will help the child learn to ask for a desired toy to play with either by using words or by handing the desired to you. Then, give the child some more of the toys that go with the selection, such as the car’s track, the bubble juice to go with the bubble wand, or a few other toys to go with Buzz Lightyear.