Social & Communication · SC-10
Facial Expression and Context Matching
Explore how faces, bodies, words, and situations can offer clues without proving what someone feels.
Clinician-created · facilitator review requiredFor clinician-facilitated use
This is a professional resource, not a child-facing online service. A licensed clinician or other qualified adult must determine suitability, explain and adapt the activity, and supervise its use. Do not direct a child to access this webpage independently or enter client information.
The full-resolution WebP includes print-safe margins and should be downloaded by an adult professional. Read the guidance below before using the page.
How to use it
- Choose a face, body, context, and word card that could go together.
- Make a second combination that could also make sense.
- Add an ‘I am not sure’ option or a question someone could ask.
Reflection prompts
- What changed when you changed the context?
- How can we check instead of assuming?
Facilitator guidance
Present every match as a hypothesis. Explain that expressions vary across people, cultures, disabilities, situations, and efforts to conceal or regulate emotion; do not train imitation of a preferred expression.
Adaptations & accessibility
- Use fewer card types or match only context and possible words.
- Include participant-created cards and neutral-expression cards.
- Allow pointing, sorting, AAC, or collaborative matching.
Professional-use review
Licensed-clinician, cultural-responsiveness, and neurodiversity-informed review required before use; facial expressions must never be presented as proof of emotion or intent.
