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Chapter 8 - Prompting Language
Choice Questions
Choice questions give your child the opportunity
to pick an answer from provided selections. The answer to
the question is within the question itself! Sometimes your
child might not know the word to answer the question without
the model that you provide. Sometimes the child knows the
word but might not know how to say it. Usually you don't know
what the child will answer to a choice question. When you
offer a choice, you model the answer.
The important thing about these questions is
that they can be used to teach your child new language. Before
you present a choice question, you need to be sure that you
have your child's attention. It is also important to be following
your child's lead to make certain you are talking about
what interests your child at that time. You can take opportunities
of all kinds of different situations to ask real choice questions.
Examples
"Do you want the car or the truck?"
"Would you like the red playdoh or the yellow playdoh?"
"Would you like milk or juice?"
"Do you want to read a book or do you want to play?"
"Do you want to go outside now or have a snack?"
"What is bigger, the ball or the house?"
"Do you want me to read a story or will you tell me a story?"
"Do you want to wear pants or a dress?"
"What should we do first; have a bath or read the book?"
"Do you want to sit beside your sister or your cousin?"
Choice questions begin with you and your child
paying attention to the same things. Usually they should be
about what your child is interested in. Choice questions are
especially powerful when they are used in response to a request
made by your child.
For example, if you are playing with a farm
puzzle and your child reaches for another piece. You could
prompt talking by asking a choice question. "Do you want the
cow or the horse piece?" The question gives your child some
control over what he/she wants and it gives the child a word
model
to answer the question. A model gives your child with another
way to answer the question.
Example
Parent:
"Do you want the cow or the horse piece?"
Child: "the cow"
Parent: "Do
you want the barn or the chicken?"
Child: "barn"
Examples
In these examples the child made a choice from
your examples in the question. The child answered in one or
two word sentences. Your goal is for your child to learn new
and better ways to talk, and his/her answer gives you a good
opportunity to do that using expansions! (For more information
on expansions, visit Chapter
7 - Expanding Language) Your child is interested in the
puzzle and has told you he/she wants a piece. Let's see how
to do that.
Parent:
"Do you want the barn or the chicken?"
Choice Question
Child: "barn"
Parent: "I
want the barn'" Model and
Expand
Child: "want barn"
Parent: "You
want the barn" Expansion
and Specific Feedback
You can also use a prompt such as "Say, I want the
barn" which serves as a modeled expansion too.
Parent:
"Do you want the cow or the horse?"
Choice Question
Child: "the cow"
Parent: "Say
'I want the cow'" Prompt
and Model
Child: "want cow"
Parent: "You
want the cow" Expansion
and Specific Feedback
Models show the child which words to use or
how to say sentences. The specific feedback tells the child
you understand what he/she said.
So the procedures for asking
Choice Questions look like this:
- Ask a choice question - wait
5 seconds
- Child does not respond, points, or gives a partial
response
- Give child a prompt and model - wait
5 seconds
- Child gives a correct answer
- Give an expanded or correct model and specific
feedback
Example
Parent:
"Do you want the car or the truck?"
Choice Question
Child: "car"
Parent: "Say
'I want the car''" Prompt
and Model
Child: "I want the car"
Parent: "You
want the red car!" Model
and Specific Feedback
Then you give them the car
These procedures for making the most of choice questions
can be used anytime, but are most powerful when your child
is very interested in what's happening and has made a
request. Your child may not be able to give the whole
model that you gave him/her. In that case you still follow
the procedures, giving expansions, corrections, and specific
feedback. Your child is probably storing the information
and will use longer and correct sentences later.
Example
Parent:
"Do you want milk or juice?" Choice
Question
Child: "milk"
Parent: "Say
'I want milk please''"
Prompt and Model
Child: "milk"
Parent: "You
want milk!" Correct Model
and Specific Feedback
Then you give them the milk
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