In the previous post, But he knows the word!, we talked about the difference between knowing words and actually using them for different communicative purposes.
As it turns out, there is quite a lot we can do with words. We can request, refuse, complain, comment, ask questions, share experiences, and draw someone’s attention to something interesting.
Today, I’d like to make a case for one particular communicative function: requesting.
My argument is that requesting is one of the most valuable communicative functions to prioritize in early intervention, particularly for children with communication difficulties.
Over the next few posts, we’ll explore why.
We’ll look at how requesting allows children to influence what happens around them, rather than simply going along with decisions made by others.
We’ll examine what makes requesting different from other communicative functions, and why those differences may be particularly important for children with communication difficulties.
We’ll also discuss some of the obstacles and challenges involved in teaching requests, and suggest ways to tackle them.
The case for requesting, then.
Let’s begin.