Responsive Interaction- Matched Turns

Responsive interaction:
responding to your childs communication and play

Following your childs lead
Taking and balancing turns with your child (verbally &
nonverbally matching/turn taking)
Mirror your childs actions, gestures, and vocalizations

Following your childs lead

Get into their activities, even if it isnt a function activity
o For example, if the child wants to through blocks in a bucket, follow
them and do the same activity rather than changing the activity to
make it more functional

What Matched Turns Look like and dont look like
Getting into the childs world
o Looks like
For example, when the child lines up puzzle pieces on the floor
you join in and line up the puzzle pieces, letting the child have
a turn then you proceed.
o Doesnt look like
For example, when the child is throwing puzzle pieces in a box,
the adult tries to redirect the behavior by removing the box
and giving the child the puzzle board.
Match Play Turn
o Looks Like
For example, The child rolls the car down the race track, then
the adult rolls their own separate car down the track. (make
sure turns are similar in length and action)
o Doesnt look like

Colleen Douglas 2017

Adapted from Scherer, N.J., Kaiser, A.
Parent training to support childrens
speech and language development
 For example, The child rolls the car on the kitchen table and
the adult then takes a turn by rolling the car on the track next
to the table
Match vocalizations
o Looks like
For example, the child says eeebabado and the adult imitate
the child and says eeebabado
o Doesnt look like
For example, the child says beebaboo and the parent
says yes bottle
Mirroring: when the adult imitates the childs vocalizations,
gestures and play.
Wait, watch, then do as they do
Why is it important
o What you say becomes more meaningful to him because the two of
you are together in the activity and your language is right on top of
what you both are doing
o Mirroring also informs the child that the adult is attending to the
childs activities

Colleen Douglas 2017

Adapted from Scherer, N.J., Kaiser, A.
Parent training to support childrens
speech and language development