Video Re-enactment
The purpose of using video re-enactment is build pretend play scenarios. We take something familiar and motivating to the learner--a beloved children's TV program, and take advantage of the broad range of licensed merchandise that invariably accompanies it. For example, if your learner loves Sesame Street, get some action figures or plush figures that represent the Sesame Street characters. If your learner loves Teletubbies, find a Dipsy, La La, Tinky Winky or Po. (Isn't it sad, when you are more familiar with children's TV characters than you are real people?) For purposes of example, we will feature Bob the Builder--a clever, gentle television show on the Nickolodeon, which has a large cast of talking construction vehicles and humans--most of which you can buy at Wal-mart in various sizes.
Video re-enactment builds on pre-existing motivation, and uses video dialogue your learner (and likely you, as well) has memorized and uses them to build functional play. This is how it works:
- Initial Target: Learner will manipulate the action figure while repeating single lines of dialogue from the TV show or video.
You can watch a video together, then re-enact 1 or 2 lines from the video, encouraging your learner to do the same. This necessitates you actually learning some of the dialogue, or being a really good bluffer. If you want, you can pause the video, repeat the dialogue holding the action figure, then start it again. If your learner doesn't tolerate stopping and starting, don't do it. They might hit you. If it were me, I might hit you too. Right after the video is done is a good choice, or during commercial breaks, etc. E.g. Bob might say, "It's time to go to Farmer Pickle's Barn."
- Second Target: The learner will speak lines for more than one character in the TV show or Video, with modification.
The learner will be encouraged (e.g. via modeling or prompting) to repeat multiple lines of dialogue spoken by multiple action figures. Encourage them to be holding the appropriate character whose dialogue they are repeating. Modify and expand the dialogue outside of familiar plot lines whenever possible.
- Third Target: Learner will allow unfamiliar dialogue and plot scenarios to develop.
Build your learners comfort with unfamiliar dialogue and unpredictable plot scenarios. Work through their insistence that play scenarios follow the video or episode script. Help your learner to pretend that his toy is talking to your toy, and manipulate the toys to attend to each other's conversation. The learner can provide a normal voice or even better, a character voice. He should be making his toy talk to the other toy, in a play conversation. The "face" of his vehicle should be attending to the "face" of the other toy--with the toy moving appropriately as it speaks.
- Final Target: Accepting peers into imaginary play.
Bring a typical peer into the play scenario. Encourage your learner to direct his attention and conversation to the peer, and to accept the unfamiliar dialogue and unpredictible play scenarios of the peer.