Using Child-Initiated Strategies: Teaching Question Asking
Toddlers with ASD can successfully be motivated and taught to ask a variety of Wh- questions (Koegel, Bradshaw, Ashbaugh, & Koegel, 2013). Question asking is particularly relevant to initiations because it shifts the initiation of the learning interaction from the adult to the child. Often times, adults ask all the questions and start most of the learning interactions. By asking questions independently, toddlers initiate interactions that facilitate information gathering and further learning. Teaching question asking also expands the purposes for which children might use communication.
The questions described in this section are in developmental sequence.
a) asking: "What's that?"
“What’s that?” is one the earliest developing questions and can be targeted for verbal children, with limited vocabulary, between the ages of 12 and 24 months.
Place highly preferred items in an opaque bag (child choice and shared control).
Prompt the toddler to ask, “What’s that?” or simply, “That/Dat?” for very young toddlers. Pointing at the object, in conjunction with asking the question, should be modeled as the toddler learns to ask the question. Parents and practitioners should also model proper question asking intonation and additional gestures (e.g., shrugging shoulders) during these opportunities.
Show the toddler what is inside the bag, provide the answer (i.e., a verbal model of the item’s label), and then give them immediate access to the item (natural reinforcer). In other words, initially the toddler does not have to make an additional request for the item. As the toddler learns to ask the question, practitioners may prompt the toddler to repeat the label prior to obtaining it. This additional step facilitates vocabulary development and teaches the difference between asking questions to obtain information and requesting to obtain an item. Obtaining information becomes a secondary reinforcer and a better approximation of the immediate natural reinforcer for asking questions.
Gradually fade prompts as toddlers begin to spontaneously ask the question, “What’s that?” or “That/Dat?”
Gradually replace preferred items in the bag with neutral and unfamiliar items (e.g., a blank notebook, one wooden block, a fork).
Gradually fade the use of the opaque bag when toddlers consistently and spontaneously ask the question, “What’s that?” or “That/Dat?” All prompts are also faded. Remember, it is important that the toddler ask the questions independently.
An index finger point toward the bag and items could also be modeled and prompted as the toddler progresses so that the toddler points in conjunction with asking the question.
Encourage generalization by placing items in other opaque objects or locations (e.g., boxes, in hands, behind back).
b) Asking: “Where’s _____?”
During a preferred activity with multiple pieces, collect the pieces and hide them nearby without the toddler seeing. If the item is desired or needed during the activity, this will establish the toddler’s motivation to ask a “Where?” question (shared control and following the toddler’s lead). This can also be done by gathering a variety of highly preferred objects and playing a “hide and seek” game in a similar fashion.
Once the toddler’s motivation to find the item has been established, prompt the toddler to ask “Where?” or “Where’s [item]?” (depending on the toddler’s language level).
Immediately tell the toddler where it is by emphasizing the preposition (e.g., “under the bridge”). If nearby, initially point or gesture to where the item is hidden (as the parent answers verbally). Or if the item is a bit further away, immediately run the toddler over to where it is and let them take the item (natural reinforcer).
As the toddler learns these prepositions, fade prompts and simply tell the toddler where the item is so that they may go obtain it. It is important that parents and practitioners not just go get the item and hand it to the toddler. This is because ultimately toddlers should distinguish basic requests from requests for information. Obtaining location/positional information (of desired items) is the goal and best approximation of the natural reinforcer for asking where questions.
As the toddler progresses, prompt him/her to repeat the answer, or ask him/her the where question as a follow-up question, so that the toddler may acquire the prepositional phrases. In this way, the toddler is simultaneously efficiently learning to ask where questions, to answer where questions, and to understand and use prepositions.
As the toddler progresses, fade all prompts and focus on using time delays or indirect prompts. For instance, parents and practitioners may wait three seconds before prompting the toddler to ask the question, or say that “[name] knows where it is,” or say “it’s not in here…,” as additional ways to indirectly prompt the toddler to ask the question.
When the toddler begins to spontaneously initiate “Where?”, try to immediately reinforce the toddler with the information and access to the item as continuously as possible. The reinforcement schedule is thinned as the children initiate more consistently.
Facilitate generalization by prompting and reinforcing “Where?” questions in multiple settings, with multiple types of stimuli, and with multiple people throughout the daily routine.
C) asking: "Whose _____?"
Gather a variety of the toddler’s favorite items (child choice).
Before the toddler can take an item, prompt the toddler to ask, “Whose?” or “Whose is it?” (depending on language level).
Immediately answer, “Yours!” and allow the toddler to take the item (natural reinforcer).
As the toddler spontaneously asks, “Whose?”, target pronoun reversals by prompting the toddler to say, “Mine!” after telling her/him “Yours!” This reinforces the toddler for making the correct pronoun reversal.
Begin to intersperse neutral items and answer the toddler’s initiated “Whose?” question with the answer “Mine!” Because these items are neutral, the toddler will not mind if the adult takes it. Prompt the child to respond back with the pronoun reversal “Yours!” prior to bringing back out the more preferred items (natural reinforcer, turn taking).
Target possessive endings, such as Mom’s, Suzy’s, or Grandpa’s, in the same manner and by using items that can be associated with each person.
Fade prompting, use time delays, and target throughout the toddler’s day.
D) asking: "What's happening?" and "What happened?"
There are several ways to teach older toddlers and preschoolers how to ask more advanced questions.
One example is to use pop-up books as a cue for asking questions:
Select pop-up books that are related to the toddler’s interests (child choice ).
Prompt older toddlers and preschoolers to either ask, “What’s happening?” or “What happened?” after they pull the tab for the pop-up pictures.
Once toddler ask the question, model the correct verb ending (“dog’s jumping ed natural reinforcer ).
As toddlers progress, repeat the verb phrases, or answer these questions as a follow-up question, in order to facilitate development of these morphemes or language skills.
Fade prompting and use time delays.
This procedure can also be done using iPad games, computer games, and watching favorite TV shows and movies. Teaching these questions can also occur throughout the toddler’s routine whenever actions can be repeated and controlled by the parent and practitioner. Preferred physical activities (e.g., trampoline) represent another time when these questions can be targeted. Here is a similar example conducted with a favorite video:
Follow the toddler’s lead and select videos that are related to the older toddler’s interests.
Pause the video (creating shared control) and then prompt children to either ask, “What’s happening?” or “What happened?” during or after a clear action has occurred in the video while the toddler is attending.
Once the toddler asks the question, model the correct verb ending (“dog’s jumping” or “dog jumped”) and then press play and/or re-watch the action in the video (natural reinforcer).
As toddlers progress, repeat the verb phrases, or answer these questions as follow-up questions, in order to facilitate development of these morphemes or language skills.
Fade prompting and use time delays.
E) attention and social commenting: "Look!"
Set up motivating situations where the toddler may try to obtain adult attention non-verbally. There are at least two types of situations where a toddler may want your attention. Either of these situations can be used in order to establish a toddler's motivation to initiate, “Look!” In either case, begin the learning opportunity by clearly turning away their attention briefly.
The toddler may try to gain attention in order to obtain or request something. For instance, as a dad checks his email, a toddler may engage in nonverbal behaviors in order to recruit his father’s attention in order to ask him for juice from the refrigerator. A toddler might want adult attention to socially share something with an adult, as is often the case for joint attention behaviors. If a toddler has just drawn something on a sheet a paper, he/she may want to share that drawing with his father and say, “Look at what I made!”
Once the toddler indicates he or she wants attention, prompt the toddler to say, “Look!”
Immediately and enthusiastically give the toddler attention. Follow by either: assisting the child with his/her request or providing attention and praise for the item or event being socially shared by the child (natural reinforcers). For toddlers initially developing interest in social comments, adding individualized social reinforcers (e.g., tickles, silly noises) to the natural reinforcement may also be helpful. For instance, if a parent prompts her toddler to comment on a train, “Look, train,” the parent can provide attention toward the train and make a “choo choo!” sound (if the child enjoys the sound), followed by playing together with a preferred train.
Fade prompting, use time delays, and prompt and reinforce “look!” initiations throughout the toddler’s daily routines as soon as appropriate.
Increase the complexity of the utterance and add point to toddler’s initiations: “Look, daddy!” or “Look, a train!” (while pointing to the train on TV) or “Look mommy, juice!” (while pointing at the refrigerator).
F) assistance seeking: "HELP!"
Set up motivating situations where their toddler may try to obtain assistance nonverbally or may need help even though they may not seek assistance. For instance, if a toddler enjoys ring stackers, but needs assistance to put them on, a practitioner follows the toddler’s lead to the ring stacker and waits until s/he needs help.
Once the toddler indicates s/he needs the adult’s help, the parent or practitioner prompts the toddler to say, “Help!”
Once the toddler says “Help!” the parent of practitioner immediately and enthusiastically helps the toddler. For example, they put the ring on the stack together (natural reinforcer).
As soon as appropriate, parents and practitioner fade full assistance into showing the toddler how to do it for him/herself.
As soon as appropriate, parents and practitioners fade prompting, use time delays, and prompt and reinforce throughout the toddler’s daily routines.
Increase complexity of the utterance and add pointing to the toddler’s initiations: “Help me, Greg!” or “Help with shape!” while pointing at the shapes, or “Need help!” while pointing at the refrigerator.
