Nineteen staff employed in small‐scale residential and day services were video‐recorded interacting with a client whom they knew well in two different contexts (selected from three possible contexts: either social, consultative or task‐related). Prior to each session, staff rated themselves and the clients on how likely they were to use a range of communication acts. These ratings were repeated after the session and the video‐recordings were rated similarly by two speech and language therapists. Although staff were able to predict and adapt their communications across the three contexts, their perceptions of communication were dominated by the use or non‐use of a ‘teaching’ strategy; that is one based around corrections, giving instructions and reinforcements, and the use of pointing and touch. Staff were less able to predict and assess the use of other verbal acts, such as commenting, and non‐verbal signals such as facial expressions and gestures both by themselves and by the clients.