As a Speech and Language Teacher for more than 15 years, I have had the opportunity to work with so many children with varying levels of skill in the areas of expressive and receptive language.  As we see more and more children entering our schools with Autism Spectrum Disorders, we as speech and language teachers are faced with the challenges of improving, increasing and expanding communication skills at the most fundamental level.

It is the understanding and comprehension levels of language that require the most repair. Teaching children with language impairments how to understand questions and respond to questions seems a simple task but it is extremely challenging. The concept of WH question skills needs to be taught from the bottom up.  The vocabulary skills that accompany each level of question needs to be addressed first.

For instance, in order for a child to understand the question WHAT is it? They first need to know that the answer will always be a noun, and that a noun is a person, place or thing. Language starts at the smallest level and builds up to the top.

Using short stories and visual stimuli to help build these skills are my favorite ways to address deficits in these areas.  Repetition is key as is time and patience.