Hello everyone! You know by now how much I love to talk (eh hem or in this case write) about all things speech. Well this month I am going to be bringing you a four part series on QUESTIONS! Now maybe your child is always asking “why”. Maybe they don’t ask any questions. Or maybe they ask questions and the word order is all mixed up and you can hardly understand what they are even trying to ask you. Well never fear. I have spent hours over the last few months digging into questions, why they are important for our kids, and how to help them blossom no matter what stage of the process you are in! Let’s jump in!
The first question we are answering today is “Why are questions important”. I was working with a client who did not answer many questions accurately, and so instead of writing a goal like “He will answer “wh” questions”, I took a step back and asked myself, why is it important that he be able to answer questions. Here are a few of the ideas I came up with…
- Question answering is Important because it can:
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- Help get needs met: Think about all the clarifying questions we ask our kids to understand what it is that they need or want. Are you hungry? Do you need to go potty? Does it hurt? Do you want more? Which one do you want? I mean…need I go on?
- Safety: What if we asked “what happened? How did you get that big cut on your head” and the child couldn’t answer. This could be a big problem, and believe me I’ve seen this happen with broken bones under a childcare system.
- Problem solve/life skills: What if kiddos couldn’t answer questions about solving problems like “what could we do? How do we fix it?”. What about life skills like “Where is the sink?” Or “which socks are yours?”.
- Social/Relational: SO much of communication is social, and answering questions is no exception. We ask and answer other peoples questions to get to know them better, to find out what we have in common with others, to relate, form a bond and ultimately build a friendship. If we are unable to answer/ask questions, this can be hugely problematic.
- Academics: Lastly, school. Think about how teachers assess if children have understood what is happening in the classroom. Questions. They are asked on tests, during circle time, in the hallway, about their lives outside of school, and within every single subject. If children have a hard time answering questions, it becomes very hard for their teachers to assess their learning, and ultimately for the child to be able to participate in academic activities.
Okay so have I proven they are important? Good. Next week we are going to take a look at when do kids have the most motivation to answer or practice answering questions, and how do we build this into their every day lives! Talk soon!
-Kasey
