Objects of Reference

Object cues or objects of reference

When people talk about 'objects of reference' you may also hear the term 'object cues'. These are sometimes talked about as being the same but there is a difference.

Object cues are used as a way of telling a child or young person where they are going or what is about to happen. e.g. the child may be handed the cup to tell them they are going to be given a drink.

Objects of reference are use for the same reason but they can also be used by the child or young person to indicate their wants and preferences e.g. the child may hand over or look his cup, indicating that they want a drink and the adult may give them a cup telling them they are going to be given a drink.

For the purposes of reducing confusion, this section will refer to this way of communicating as Objects of reference and differentiate by explaining how to introduce and develop this form of communication.

What are Objects of Reference

The term objects of reference refer to an object which has a particular meaning associated with it and it is used to represent another object, person or event. They can be used both at home and in school to support the child’s communication helping them to understand what is happening next. The object should have relevance for the child and for what it is being used to represent.

Examples of objects of reference:

· A cup is used to represent a drink

· A plate is used to show it is dinner time/snack time

· A nappy is used to show it is changing time

· A piece of jewellery may be used to signify a certain person (e.g. a visitor)

· Going to school maybe represented by a bag

It is important that once the appropriate object is selected it is used consistently and easily accessible throughout the day.

· To begin using objects of reference the child is shown the object and if possible given the object to hold as they are led to the relevant place. This is supported by the adult using the correct word.

· This method needs to be reinforced consistently. Physical prompting, gesturing and verbal prompts, or a combination may be used initially with the aim to reducing the level of prompting

From the Aneurin Bevan Health Board Speech and Language Therapy (see pdf below)