Sasha from TheAutismHelper.com teaches a timed fluency method for WH questions using flashcards with embedded answers. Start with 30-second or 1-minute trials on one question type, add error correction, then mix question types together once each is mastered to ensure the child understands the specific question, not just the routine.
Hi, this is Sasha from TheAutismHelper.com, and this is a video tutorial of my WH fluency timing. I think this is easier to show in a video format because it's kind of hard to explain. Sarah, my speech therapist, is going to be the pretend student. But I found this is a really great way to teach answering WH questions— who, what, where, when, and why— by teaching each question on its own in a fluency timing and then having discrimination sessions. So I'll show you what I mean in a minute. I made a bunch of flashcards that just basically have a sentence written that has kind of embedded answers to all of these questions. I like to do a 30-second or a 1-minute timing, and if your kid is higher functioning, you can kind of show them a goal. So you, you can show them on your data sheet like, "Last time you did 4, let's try to get 5." Um, for setting an aim for your student, I would recommend trying it yourself and seeing how many you can get first. Because we don't want to have an unrealistic expectation on something that physically can't be done because it does take some time for you to read the sentences. So I'll show you what I mean first. I'm going to start with the who. I tend to start with who, then go to what, where, when, and end with why, since why is the most complicated. So when I start, I usually tell the student what we're doing. I'm going to be reading you some sentences and asking you some questions. Answer as quickly as you can, and if you don't know, just say, "I don't know." And then I set the timer for 30 seconds. And okay, so we're going to start with the first, um, WH fluency, the "who" timing. Are you ready? The girl went to the zoo on Friday. Who went to the zoo? The girl. The lady went to the grocery store yesterday. Who went to the grocery store? The lady. The baby is crying in the middle of the night. Who is crying? The baby. The kids played in the park yesterday. Who played in the park? The kids. Sarah cooks pancakes on Sunday morning. Who cooks pancakes? Sarah. John is eating chicken for dinner tomorrow. Who's eating chicken? John. Julian and Alex go to McDonald's on Tuesday. Who's going to McDonald's? Julian and Alex. That kid is going on a field trip next week. Okay, so basically it runs really quickly and don't provide any reinforcement during the timing. It'll all be given at the end. So at the end you can go over like, great job on these ones. If they get any wrong, I always put them in a different or pile on the side and then provide error correction once the fluency is over. So once the student has made whatever mastery you deem appropriate, move on to the next WH question and teach that in isolation. So once who is mastered, move on to what, and then take the two previously mastered WH questions and utilize them in a discrimination condition. So who and what together. So I'll show an example of that now. So it's run the same way, same set, whatever time floor you're using is the same one, 30 seconds or a minute. And the same setup. Alright, discrimination, who and what. You ready? That kid is going on a field trip next week. What is that kid doing? Going on a field trip. That family bought 3 pumpkins last weekend. Who bought a pumpkin? That family. A girl is sitting at the library. Who's sitting in the library? A girl. AJ wants to go to the store on Wednesday. What does AJ want to do? Go to the store. The boy and girl have blue backpacks. Who have blue backpacks? The boy and girl. "Edwin is writing a story in room 411." What is Edwin doing? Writing a story. "That girl has a sandwich in her lunchbox." What does that girl have? So it's the same setup, just providing the two different question words to really show that the student is discriminating between the question you're asking and not responding just to the condition. Because I think our kids have a tendency to just become routine-based, and they just respond no matter what, even if they're not necessarily responding to the exact question. So as you add each new set, add in the new word to the discrimination condition. So once they've mastered who, what, where, add where and have the discrimination condition of all three. It's a really great way to see if they're truly responding to what you're asking and not just trying to provide some type of response that isn't necessarily according to the question. So this was a WH fluency video tutorial from theautismhelper.com.
