Welcome back to my Core Word of the Week Programme!

This weeks motivating & versatile word is 'look', great for learners to connect with their environment, build curiosity and engage in shared attention.

If you're new to my Core Word Programme, it's 36 sessions of speech and language content that I have designed specifically for the Gestalt Language Processors and pre/non verbal children in your care. Based on the 40 first core words that a neurotypical child would learn, the sessions are completely flexible and adaptable to any communication method or classroom needs, so that your learner(s) can get the most from the content.

The programme includes three different symbol languages, so whether you use Board Maker, Symbolstix or Widget, it is suitable for all.

Read on to get a sneak peek into how I have been teaching and modelling "look" in my sensory classrooms!

Each week of the programme includes suggestions for tabletop activities, sensory stories, interactive games, Attention Autism planning and links to TV, film and music clips showing the core word in action. These activities are designed to allow us to teach in a way that suits how autistic and Gestalt Language Processors learn.

Sensory stories are great for multiple reasons. Firstly, they allow us to share stories in a fun, accessible and interactive way. They engage multiple senses, making them more interesting for learners who process information best through sensory experiences. GLP and autistic children might become overwhelmed with traditional stories as they focus on abstract language, whereas sensory stories are often more accessible as they provide concrete, sensory experiences.

This week, I've been reading "Look Out, Ladybird!" by Jack Tickle to my learners, a delightful book about a ladybird learning to fly, and the struggles that she faces. As she explores her world, she encounters friendly animals and learns to overcome her fears. Colourful and full of rhymes, this book features our core word on nearly every page!

In my interactive game, learners are asked to use a torch to 'look' for items like lions and teddies, oh my! Each weekly game helps children understand the context of the word in a fun, low-stress, and error-free way. These games also offer a valuable opportunity for adults to assess the children's understanding of the word.

Another activity in my weekly core word sessions are links to clips from TV, film and song, so that my learners can see, hear and watch the core word in practice. We can watch these together as a group, or individually depending on the needs and restrictions of the learners and classroom.

If writing tasks are appropriate for your learners, there are some included which can be completed online, on the whiteboard or printed out to be traced or drawn over.

You may like to complete these as groups, or 1:1 depending on the needs of your learners, and any classroom restrictions.

If you think that the Core Word Programme could be useful for your learners, It's always a great time to join in! You can start at any time and work through the sessions as it suits you and the children in your care, and there is a thriving private Facebook group where you can find support, tips, ideas and community.

For more Core Word content, check out my blog posts here or my TikTok, Facebook or Instagram to see what I've done during previous weeks.

You can buy the full programme here or try before you buy with a free demo here.

Stage 1  

After singing "I've got something in my bucket" with my learners, which is great for enhancing excitement and anticipation, I've been taking out a wave fan as the first item. Whilst waving it around, I will put it up in the air and say "up",  bring it down towards the ground and say "down" and describe it as "wiggly" and "wavy". The children in my classrooms love the movement of the fan, and the way it creates wind. I also use a mini spinner, again emphasising "up" and "down" as it moves, and an infinity light. Whilst using all of these, I repeat the word 'look' before describing the item or its movement, and make sure to sign the word as well. 

Buy the bucket here

Buy the wave fan here 

Buy the mini spinner here

Buy the infinity light here 

Stage 2 

For stage 2, I've been using the expanding & shrinking sphere. I'll say 'look' before describing the sphere as big or small, and use fun noises whilst expanding and retracting the sphere to help keep my learners attention. 

Buy the sphere here

Stage 3 

If you wanted to continue to stage 3, a favourite activity of mine is to put dry rice on to a drum, and 'look' as you hit the drum and the rice bounces. Your learners can all then have a turn to make the rice bounce and 'look' at it moving.

Stage 4 

For stage 4, I love a matching game, whether that's matching animal photos to an animal toy or an animal head to an animal body, ensuring that we emphasise the process of 'looking' to match the items. 

These activities help demonstrate my core word in an exciting and interactive way. To see this week's session, and previous Attention Autism sessions, head to my Instagram, Facebook or TikTok. 

There are a years worth of core word based Attention Autism ideas included in my Core Word Programme here. Separate to the core words, you can also get four years worth of fun Attention Autism ideas for Stages 1-4 here.  

Check out Attention Autism here, they've just updated their training and I highly recommend it.