How Stella Learned to Talk: The Groundbreaking Story of the World's First Talking Dog

by Christina Hunger

In AAC therapy, “once the individual has the idea of what a particular word means and understands that there will be a natural response when appropriate, then it’s okay to respond by saying ‘no more right now,’ ‘we’re finished with that,’” or something else of that nature.30 Saying no to a request can still provide reinforcement for the learner. For example, if a child asks for cookies all day long, you would at some point probably tell them “it’s not time for cookies now,” or “we can have cookies later.” You would not be afraid that by saying no, the child would lose understanding of the word cookies. You still acknowledged and responded to what they said, which provides reinforcement for their learning.