Answering "Wh" Questions for Autistic Children

Teach children with autism how to comprehend complex language.

Individuals with autism sometimes do not understand "wh" questions (who, what, when, where, why and how) because they are a complex element of language and the disorder is characterized by communication difficulties. You can teach these questions using social stories, flashcards and role playing.

Social Stories

A social story uses descriptive sentences and pictures, and it depicts individuals in social situations. After the teacher tells the story, the student practices answering "wh" questions such as "where are they?," "who are they?," "what are they doing?" and "what happened?"

Flashcards

Students who are able to read well, and those who do not need pictures to communicate, can use flashcards to learn "wh" questions. Teachers use them to teach the correct structure of questions, as the students fill in the missing words from sentences on a worksheet using cards with single words. Following the flashcard activity, the student reads the questions out loud.

Role Playing

Role playing is telling a story using people, props and verbal and physical language. After the story has been played out, the student practices answering "wh" questions that the teacher asks about the role play.

References

• The National Center for Biotechnology Information: A Psychological Approach to Understanding the Social and Language Impairments in Autism
• Teaching Children with Autism: Social Stories
• One Stop English: Question Time: Wh-questions
• Autism Teaching Tools: Play and Autism

Resources

• Printable Fun: Printable Why Question Book for Children with Autism
• Indiana Resource Center for Autism Publication & Video Catalog