By Ashleigh Evans, MS, BCBA

WH questions are essential building blocks of communication. Understanding and responding to questions about who, what, when, where, and why is vital for a child’s language development. BCBAs and educators commonly focus on teaching these pivotal skills for many reasons. Let’s explore why teaching WH questions is important and how it can help shape a child’s language and communication skills.

What are WH Questions?

Before we dive into why WH questions are important, let’s consider what WH questions are. WH questions encompass many different questions that start with the words “who,” “what,” “when,” “where,” and “why. While it doesn’t start with WH, some people also group “how” questions under this umbrella. WH questions include the following.

Who Questions–Questions about people, such as “Who is coming over today?”

What Questions–Questions about things, thoughts, actions, or ideas, such as “What did you think about that movie?”

When Questions–Questions about times, days, or dates, such as, “When is your birthday?”

Where Questions–Questions about places, such as, “Where did you go last night?”

Why Questions–Questions about the reasons or causes for things, such as, “Why do I have to cut the grass?”

It’s important to teach kids to both ask and answer who, what, when, where, and why questions as they navigate their home, social, and academic environments. 

Why is it Important to Teach Kids to Answer WH Questions?

There are many reasons why children should be taught to answer WH questions, including the following.

• Safety–If a child is ever lost or in another unsafe situation, they may need to communicate critical information, such as, “What’s your name?” “Where do you live?” “Who are your parents?”, etc. It can also provide parents peace of mind when their child can answer key questions about their day.
• Building friendships and social engagement–Answering WH questions allows a child to engage socially with peers and build meaningful relationships.
• Academic success–Understanding how to answer WH questions is vital in educational settings, where children are expected to communicate their knowledge through reading comprehension, math equations, and many other subjects.
• Reciprocating conversations–Answering WH questions helps learners develop conversational skills, including answering and reciprocating questions. This is necessary in many settings, including social, educational, vocational, and at home.
• Memory and recall–Teaching children to answer WH questions is a pivotal skill that leads to additional skills, such as recalling events.

Why is it important to Teach Kids to Ask WH Questions?

Learning to ask WH questions is equally important as answering them. Let’s explore some pivotal reasons that underscore the significant benefits of teaching children to ask WH questions.

• Understanding the world around them–Asking WH questions encourages curiosity, fostering an understanding of the world around the child.
• Academic success–An ability to ask questions aids in academic success, as the child takes an active role in their education by questioning things that expand their knowledge. 
• Initiating conversations–Teaching children to ask WH questions helps them develop conversational skills, including initiating conversations. This can foster meaningful connections with peers and others in their lives.
• Problem-solving–Children who can ask WH questions can build upon their knowledge, asking questions that promote critical problem-solving skills.

Resources for Teaching WH Questions

Teaching children with autism and other neurodevelopmental differences to ask and answer WH questions is a complex process with many layers. Many WH questions are abstract, involving time (when questions) or cause and effect (why or how). These can be challenging concepts for neurodivergent children to grasp.

The first step is to teach simple labeling (referred to as tacts in verbal behavior language). Labeling items and activities is a necessary prerequisite skill. For example, before a child can answer the question, “Where is your cup?”, they need to know how to label items, such as “couch,” so they can answer by saying “on the couch.” You can use flashcards to teach your learner to label various objects, including common objects around the home and school, food, clothing, body parts, and more.

As children develop the basic prerequisite WH skills, you can make learning fun and engaging by expanding upon their knowledge through games and activities. The Ask & Answer Social Skills Game is one such engaging game that you can play to help your learners develop skills related to answering WH questions.

For additional considerations on teaching these vital life skills, check out the blog, What Goes Into Teaching Children to Answer WH Questions?

About the Author

Ashleigh Evans, MS, is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst. She has been practicing in the behavior analysis field for over 13 years and opened her own independent practice in early 2022. Her experience has been vast across different age groups, diagnoses, and needs. She is passionate about improving the field through education, reformative action, and better supervisory practices, leading her to create content and resources for families and ABA professionals which can be found on her website, www.abaresourcecenter.com

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