Second, the provision of build-ups and breakdowns (e.g., Fey et al., 1993), may have assisted the children in acquiring multi-symbol messages. A breakdown and build-up occurred during each aided AAC model; that is, the instructor first pointed to and labeled two symbols (i.e., a breakdown) and then provided a grammatically complete utterance (i.e., a build-up). Using buildups and breakdowns can help show a child how a phrase breaks down into parts and can also demonstrate how the same intended message can be provided in a variety of ways (Paul, 1997). Alternatively, the build-ups and breakdowns might have served as an imitative prompt for the children.