Bridge the gap between concrete and abstract language with these books that use highly-visual content to help children picture the concepts behind challenging question forms like "what if" and "what should."
- Comprehend a variety of question forms
- Communicate with less frustration
Simple illustrations help students understand the logic behind questions and respond appropriately. Students look at the picture, read the question or statement at the top of the page, and respond. The complexity of response can range from single-word answers to complex utterances. Instructions and goals are included to help you fade cues and progress to generalization of the question concepts.
Autism & PDD Answering Questions Level 2 is a continuation of Autism & PDD Answering Questions Level 1 with a subtle progression in content and detail of the pictures. Both books have eight chapters covering:
- Describing Feelings—Students answer the question "How does he/she feel?" and identify emotions of hurt, mad, sad, happy, and scared.
- What Happened—Students answer the question, "What happened?" and explain situations like spilling a drink or a bee sting.
- What Do You Do When—Students draw from personal experiences or the experiences of others and answer "What do you do when" questions in novel, yet logical ways.
- Why/Because—Students give logical answers to questions such as "Why is she taking her medicine?" and "Why do people use paper plates?"
- Going To—Students express predictions and draw conclusions as they answer questions that pertain to related objects such as "Hannah has a rake and a big black bag. What is she going to do?"
- What Do You Need—Students name two items needed to complete tasks like washing hands or making a birthday card. Simple organizational skills like verbal sequencing and basic storytelling are developed.
- What Should—Students demonstrate beginning logic and problem-solving skills by stating solutions to simple problems like what to do if a glass breaks (e.g., "John broke a glass. What should he do?").
- What If—Students hypothesize about events they may not have experienced themselves (e.g., "What happens if you step on gum?").
Autism & PDD Answering Questions may be purchased as a 2-book set or individually. The 2-book set consists of:
Copyright © 2006
- Many children with autism spectrum disorders learn more readily through the visual modality (Taylor-Goh, 2005).
- Asking wh- questions is a common method of teaching. Difficulty answering wh- questions affects a child academically, linguistically, and socially (Parnell, Amerman, & Hartin, 1986).
- Explicitly teaching and reinforcing inference-making leads to better outcomes in overall text comprehension, text engagement, and metacognitive thinking (Borné, Cox, Hartgering, & Pratt, 2005).
- Reasoning skills encourage critical thinking and meta-awareness of internal thought processes. Reasoning skills support students' logical judgments based on conscious reflection and sensitivity to multiple viewpoints (Little, 2002).
- Reasoning and critical thinking are necessary skills for competence across the curriculum. They require students to examine, relate, and analyze all aspects of a problem or situation. Students engaged in critical thinking must make associations that connect problems with their prior knowledge (Pellgrini, 1995).
Autism & PDD Answering Questions incorporates these principles and is also based on expert professional practice.
Borné, L., Cox, J., Hartgering, M., & Pratt, E. (2005). Making inferences from text [Overview]. Dorchester, MA: Project for School Innovation.
Little, C. (2002). Reasoning as a key component of language arts curricula. The Journal of Secondary Gifted Education, 13(2), 52-59.
Parnell, M.M., Amerman, J.D., & Hartin, R.D. (1986). Responses of language-disordered children to wh- questions. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 17, 95-106.
Pellegrini, J. (1995). Developing thinking and reasoning skills in primary learners using detective fiction. Yale-New Haven Teachers Institute, 1. Retrieved March 11, 2009 from http://www.yale.edu/ynhti/curriculum/units/1995/1/95.01.05.x.html
Taylor-Goh, S. (2005). Royal college of speech & language therapists: Clinical guidelines. United Kingdom: Speechmark.