“You did that; I helped with this.”
Stop first: Stop the added offer immediately for a known no/stop, discomfort, withdrawal of interest or uncertainty. Keep ordinary care and usual supports available; no repeated signal, clearer reply or restart is owed.
Setup and free swap: Begin with actual ordinary child play and a genuinely known request for help, if one occurs. A familiar suitable item may remain adult-held. No item is required if the requested help is an adult word or established communication response. Help is not withheld to create a task.
Common agreement for every route
Use an awake, comfortable, wanted moment in the child's usual supported setting with a familiar caring adult. Keep the child's body and usual communication/supports as they are. Do not manufacture distress, withhold a comfort item or necessary help, reposition the child, guide their body, demand eye contact, lure reaching/tracking, test hearing, or ask for touch/speech/imitating to make the offer work.
An optional object is one existing large, intact, familiar, non-powered play item already judged appropriate for this individual child and setting under its actual instructions, age labelling, condition and current recall information. “Large” alone is no safety clearance. No object is required. No small loose pieces, detachable parts, food, water, tools, tight lids, bags, cords, magnets, batteries, foam, glass, raised ramps, lights, covering faces or surprise reveals are introduced. No child handling of paper; any print stays adult-held away from mouth/reach. Adults maintain normal supervision and unobstructed access. These offers certify no material or setup.
Use known home words, established signs/AAC and family-informed supports. A competent familiar speaker may use their own language; this pack supplies no translation, invented gesture dictionary, cultural story or First Nations language claim. The adult can speak, sign/communicate through established supports, act silently if accessible, or stay quietly available. Quiet does not remove usual communication access.
Stop rule: respond to a known no/stop, discomfort, withdrawal of interest or uncertainty by stopping the added offer and returning to ordinary familiar care/play. Never keep testing until a clearer answer appears. No new touch, sound or movement is used to obtain evidence. A restart needs current willingness. Necessary routine transitions remain adult responsibilities, with a familiar explanation; child participation is not required for tidying or ending care.
If this contribution is wanted
Offer and child control: Give the requested appropriate help promptly; allow the child to keep, alter or end their own part. If the adult performs the entire act, acknowledge that honestly. Do not guide the child's hand, demand a demonstration or arrange a difficult attempt before helping.
Three usable routes: (1) Support the existing setup only as wanted while the child's chosen action continues, without assuming they will act again. (2) Carry out a clear direction as the adult operator, naming that support. (3) No object or known help request: remain available and respond normally; there is no missing achievement to fill.
Notice and next: Name the actual child action, adult support and any direction separately. An adult-assisted arrangement is not evidence of independent motor or causal skill. Next time retain the support that was useful; removing it to prove independence is not a requirement. Stop the added offer for uncertainty.
© NeuroForgeIO Pty Ltd 2026 · SubjectNest, Tiny actions, meaningful answers · v0.1.0. Original computer-assisted teaching/text/layout CC BY 4.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ . No family trial or agency approval claimed.