Straight Talk About "WH" Question Fluency
- Jennifer Cullen
- Jul 31, 2020
- 2 min read
Why is learning to ask and answer "Wh" questions such an important skill for children on the autism spectrum? It is because children cannot carry on meaningful conversations, express their needs, and wants, or gather relevant information from others unless they can ask and answer wh questions.
Parents Play an Important Role in Teaching a child Wh Questions
In 2017 researchers, Rowe, Leech & Cabrera observed dads reading to and playing with their child during 10-minute intervals. Throughout the parent-child interaction, researchers documented the types of questions (i.e. wh-questions, yes/no questions, etc.) the dads asked as well as the child's responses. The results of this study found a positive connection between dads asking their child wh-questions and the child's vocabulary and verbal reasoning abilities.
When all types of questions were compared, a child answered more often and their verbal answers were more elaborate when their dad asked them wh-questions.
One year after the study, the research participants (children) showed improved vocabulary and verbal reasoning skills ("Language learning: Importance of wh-questions - Scientific Parenting Tips", 2020).
5 Things You Can Do to Help Your Child Understand and Answer Wh-questions
"What" questions are the simplest to answer so start there and then once your child is comfortable answering "what" questions move on to more difficult, abstract questions.
In order to prevent confusion, focus on only one question at a time.
When your child cannot answer a question correctly, model the correct answer for them. For example, "What color is your shirt?" (Silence) …."My shirt is red". After modeling, ask your child the question again to see if they can get it right. Praise them for answering correctly.
Give your child numerous opportunities to practice answering similar questions in various situations. For example, show your child two spoons, two plates, and two cups during mealtime and then ask your child "What spoon, plate, and cup" they want to use. Later on at bath time, show them two towels, two toys, and two types of soap, and ask them "What towel, toy, and soap" they want to use.
Use pictures to illustrate Wh- questions. For example, make picture cards depicting familiar places such as the grocery store for ‘where’ questions or pictures of familiar people for ‘who’ questions (Adams, 2020).
A Picture Card Activity to Help Your Child Understand and Answer Wh-questions
Sources:
Adams, G. (2020). Wh- questions and why they're important • Learning Links. Retrieved 31 July 2020, from https://www.learninglinks.org.au/wh-questions/#:~:text=It%20is%20important%20that%20children,about%20themselves%20and%20their%20world.
Language learning: Importance of wh-questions - Scientific Parenting Tips. (2020). Retrieved 31 July 2020, from https://scientificparentingtips.com/school-learning/language-learning-importance-of-wh-questions/
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