Encouraging Your First Independent Presses
Here's how to encourage your learner to press their sound buttons. Whether you’ve had talking buttons for a while but haven’t had that first independent press yet or want to set yourself up for success, we're here to help.
First presses are a tough hurdle
Getting that first independent press is something every new teacher is very excited about. We’re going to explain how to get there.
A lot of teachers think of the first press as the first step, or the first sign of learning. It’s neither of those things! There’s a lot of foundation to lay first and just because your learner hasn’t pressed yet doesn’t mean you haven’t made any progress! Most learners take at least a month before they press any buttons, or sometimes they’ll press a button as soon as you put it down but then not touch it again. Don’t worry, they’re still learning what the buttons do. Don’t try to rush and do not get discouraged. Patience and modeling are the name of the game here.
Independent presses can be a big hurdle
This is often especially true for older learners who have an established communication style, or for really well trained learners who are used to waiting for a cue before performing a specific action.
How to Get that First Press
Choose motivating words
Pick first words that are motivating. By that, we mean the concept behind the word should be something your learner is interested in and wants to do.
As well as being motivating, these should be words that you can say yes to a lot. We’ve written about what makes a good starter word here. Buttons are about giving your learner control, so picking things that they can influence a lot early on is a good way to show value. You’re not teaching words yet, you’re teaching how the buttons work. So pick familiar words.
If you only have 1 word:
Add 2 or 3 more words, and make them motivating. Your learner will struggle to understand how buttons work if they don’t see them used a lot, in a variety of contexts. You can’t do that with just one word. Your learner will just think this sound button is a weird pointless step you’ve added to this activity.
You have 2 or 3 words but they’re not all motivating:
If you have a pair of words like Play and All Done, I’m sorry to tell you that’s a pretty boring set of words!
Play is a great starter word because it’s a word your pet will already understand, but they can initiate play in other ways - like bringing you a toy - and so it might not be enough on its own.
If your other word is something like All Done, then it just stops the fun. It’s not going to be very interesting right now as your learner doesn’t really understand what buttons do. With just those two words, 50% of the time your learner experiments with the buttons, something confusing and not fun happens. Early on buttons need to be engaging and they need to be clear so your learner understands what happens when they are pressed.
You already have 3-5 starter words, and they’re mostly/all motivating:
What’s their level of understanding?
Does your learner seem to understand that the buttons (the actual buttons not just the words) do specific things and that they can be pressed? Are they looking at or going to a toy when you press Play for example, or heading to the door when they hear Outside?
If they don’t then they don’t understand what buttons do yet, so keep modelling.
Your learner needs to understand what the buttons do.
Without understanding the point of the buttons they might press them to please you, but they won’t do in on their own.
Does your learner seem reluctant to press the buttons or scared of them?
If yes, keep modelling and being really excited every time they interact with the soundboard (that could be a glance at a button, or sitting near or touching a button accidentally on their way past). Try to spend lots of time there and play around the buttons so they see it’s a fun space. If they accidentally press a button, respond as if it was deliberate and help them understand that button presses are a great thing and you’re happy when they happen. If you have a particularly nervous or careful learner you can treat any interaction with the button as if it were a press. Maybe they stare at the Treat button, or they brush Outside on their way past the board. Those are opportunities for you to jump in and model those words yourself. Make a big production out of it.
You can also try some target practice. Go very slowly as we explain here
Do you think they’re struggling to target the button or don’t understand how to press it?
This is another scenario that calls for some target practice.
My learner is confident around the buttons and can press them, but doesn’t!
We believe you, but we’ve seen teachers accidentally do things to make their learners think they shouldn’t activate a button independently.
It’s really easy to be so excited by the idea of buttons and keen to help your learner use them that you actually make your learner feel negatively towards the buttons. Are you asking them to use their buttons, directing them to press, or withholding anything in the hope they’ll press? You’ve probably made buttons seem like a barrier to fun rather than the thing that makes fun things happen.
You can also create something called “prompt dependence” where your learner thinks that they need to wait for your permission to use the buttons. If you are prompting your learner, you need to stop that entirely.
Do you have children who are using the buttons to model and your learner thinks they’re a ‘kid toy’? We’ve seen this happen. If that might be the case then try to have your kids back off a little for a while and treat your learner as if they’re fearful of the buttons to help them learn they’re ok to interact with.
You’re not prompting, your learner isn’t nervous of the buttons, and they can press them.
How much are you modelling?
Up that number. You should be talking to your learner throughout the day and using their buttons as much as possible. Broaden your modeling as well. Outside isn’t just for when your learner goes potty. It’s anytime anybody goes outside. Walk Outside, Dad Outside, Noise Outside, Play Outside, Bird Outside. Use their button words as much as you can.
This process takes time. If you think your learner should be motivated by the words they have then be patient. This can take weeks or months to click, and that’s not a reflection on your ability as a teacher or how smart your learner is.
Are any of your words things your learner is motivated by but doesn’t have an easy way to ask for without the buttons?
If your learner is able to press the buttons but doesn’t really seem interested in pressing the ones they have, and you’ve been modelling for several weeks, consider adding a word or two for things you think might be more motivating - we’ve seen everything from brushing teeth to ice, requesting a specific room or car rides be the thing that gets independent presses going. Puzzle was the word that encouraged Bunny to first press, as it was something not always available and that she really loved.
Core activities and things in your learner’s day are great starter words but if they’re all things that happen anyway, or they can ask for other ways, they might not be quite motivating enough. The sweet spot is motivating things that they don’t have a way to ask for/express/alert to otherwise.
Try to be around the board as much as possible and encourage accidental interactions, so that your learner sees that you’re super excited when they do hit a button, and that they don’t need permission to press them.
Have you avoided food words?
We’re pro food words at TTB. We each have lots of them on our soundboards and think they’re great starter words. We have a post on this here.
Consider a food word - it could be their core Food/Kibble, Treat, or something that requires some activity like Puzzle, Game, Snuffle Mat or Tricks. You could add a longer lasting food option like Chew, Puzzle, Kong if that seems more appropriate and manageable.
Food words have been the first word for so so many learners.
If you’re struggling to get a press food words could well be the key to making the whole thing click for your learner.
Giving little bits of food/treat and modelling the word after each press is a great way to really show the process and if you begin to wait a little longer between presses then your learner may want to hurry you up by pressing themselves, or start to look or move towards the button, which you can then treat as a press.
Encourage making choices
If your learner seems to be struggling with the idea that they can use buttons because they are highly trained or used to quite a ridgid schedule, we'd also encourage you to bring choices into their world in other ways. Bunny struggled with this a little as a puppy, and Lizzy started giving Bunny little options through their day, like a toy in each hand or laying out a few treat options and letting her choose one…it definitely helped her to see that she could influence things more. You’ll probably need to start out by just treating a very small look or gesture as a ‘choice’ if you do this, and it might take a lot of thinking time and patience because waiting for you is so ingrained, but give it time! We have a whole article on a technique for encouraging choice here.
Don’t worry if independent presses are taking a while
Judge your success on how your learner responds to modelling and signs that they understand what buttons do. Things like grabbing a toy and getting excited when you press “Play”, or running to the window to look out if you said “Dad Outside” are indicators that they understand the words and know that button presses mean something specific is about to happen. That’s important foundational work that has to happen before you can get intentional button pressing.
Your job as a teacher is help your learner understand how buttons work and make sure they know they can use them when they want to - so model as much and as creatively as possible, helping them understand the meaning and context of a word when they hear it on a button and all the ways they might want to use that word themselves.
If you or family members are struggling to manage dictating or over-prompting, set yourself some targets, like modelling each button word 10 times in a day and trying to think of 3 different ways of using the word - this will help take the focus off the learner and help you see progress in a different light.
Takeaway points
Model as much as you can, talking about yourself and others as well as your learner.
Spend lots of time around the soundboard.
Praise any interaction with the soundboard and buttons.
Begin by responding to glances and interactions that don’t activate buttons as if they did.
Choose first words that are motivating to your learner, and that you can respond to positively most of the time.
