1 · Welcome & choose · 2 minutes
Choose a place, a route and a role. Offer host, guest, puppet director, communication partner or observer. Listening and returning later are welcome.
SPEAK TOGETHER · THE STUDIO
Around the Table
Make a place. Share an idea. Welcome another way to communicate.
Rehearse through drama, then carry welcoming habits into everyday shared moments. Food can be real, imaginary or absent.
Choice comes first. Eating, tasting, speaking and sharing personal stories are optional. Use existing school allergy, feeding and sensory plans. Keep usual AAC available. A food-free gathering is an equal option.
2 · Rehearse together · 5 minutes
Model one exchange, then leave space. Try the scene through a character or puppet. Invite a comment, response, question or repair. Agree before changing audience.
3 · Notice & step out · 3 minutes
Leave the role. Ask whether the invitation worked and what helped. A point, gesture, AAC selection or pass is enough. Choose one habit to try elsewhere.
4 · Transfer between sessions
Use an existing snack/lunch or food-free gathering. Keep it relaxed and follow pupil topics. Record the context; a rehearsal is not evidence of everyday transfer.
A message for the table
Open the Around the Table communication board →
Choose a phrase, edit it or ask a partner to read. These text cues supplement the pupil’s familiar AAC and symbols.
No recording, upload or remote speech service. Message text stays in this page’s memory and clears on reload. If no local voice exists, use a partner or usual AAC.
Adult practice: offer, wait, follow
Contribute a small observation yourself. Wait without demanding a turn, follow the pupil’s topic and respond to their meaning. Leave enough time for AAC composition. Model comments, humour, disagreement and repair as well as requests.
Try: “That reminds me of…” · “I have a different idea.” · “Have I understood?” · “Would you like to join, watch or come back?” Avoid testing food knowledge, judging diets, compulsory turn circles or rewarding speech.
Observe: an accessible invitation, a pupil-initiated contribution, a peer response or successful repair. Keep the same short observation window when comparing and note the supports available.
Give communication a shared purpose
A café, picnic or shared gathering gives the group something to organise together: welcoming a guest, choosing a role, sharing a preference, telling a story or repairing a misunderstanding.
Use the table as a setting for genuine interaction. Offer a small invitation, leave time and follow the pupil’s idea. Everyday food, pretend props and food-free gatherings are equal options; there is no requirement to eat or speak.
Try and review: notice whether invitations are accessible, pupils choose to participate, peers respond to each other and messages can be repaired. Ask pupils what helped. Adapt the setting when it creates pressure or sensory barriers.
This is an optional educational routine. Its effects within The Studio have not been established. Keep claims proportionate to the observations collected.