Full List, Materials, Strategies

🎧 What You’ll Learn in This Episode (How to Teach WH Questions)

Even if WH questions are already part of your therapy toolbox, this episode aims to fine-tune your approach with six strategies that streamline planning and maximize student progress. You’ll hear about:

– How to use leveled assessments to pinpoint a student’s starting point
– Explicit methods to teach WH words using visuals and clear definitions
– A scaffolded hierarchy for structuring instruction
– How to select targets
– Embedding WH practice into meaningful contexts to boost carryover
– The importance of repetition + varied practice for generalization

Why WH Questions Matter for Kids

I’m so excited to dive into one of the foundational skills we target in speech therapy — WH questions!

These little question words — who, what, where, when, why, and how — may seem simple, but they’re at the heart of communication. Whether we’re working on classroom comprehension, social interactions, or general language development, success with WH questions is essential for building strong receptive and expressive skills.It’s a skill that shows up everywhere: in reading comprehension, group discussions, and even playtime.

But as you’ve probably seen, answering WH questions isn’t always easy for our students. Children with language delays, autism, or other communication disorders often struggle to process the meaning behind each question type. Research by Parnell and colleagues (1986) found that students with language delays often produce appropriate but inaccurate responses. For example, a student might a “who” answer to a “who” question but name the wrong person. It’s a subtle but important distinction, and one that tells us we need to explicitly teach both appropriateness and accuracy.

That’s where structured intervention makes all the difference.

When we combine explicit instruction, visual supports, and meaningful practice, we can help students connect the question word to its purpose, and eventually use WH questions confidently in any context.

To make this easier for you, we created the WH Questions Skill Pack, a ready-to-go resource that includes:

• Leveled assessments to identify each student’s starting point
• Visual supports and cue cards for every WH question type
• Structured practice activities to promote generalization

It’s everything you need to assess, teach, and track progress — all in one place.

What Are WH Questions? (and Why They’re Important for Kids)

Before we jump into specific strategies, let’s take a quick step back.

WH questions are the foundation of how kids learn to gather and express information. Each WH word serves a specific purpose:

• Who → a person
• What → a thing or action
• Where → a place
• When → a time
• Why → a reason
• How → a process or explanation

Complex WH Questions (and How They Differ from Early WH Questions)

As students develop stronger language and reasoning skills, WH questions naturally become more complex. Early in therapy, we might focus on straightforward questions like “What is this?” or “Who is eating?” that can be answered by labeling something visible. But as comprehension grows, students begin to tackle questions that require more inference, reasoning, or background knowledge — such as:

• “Why did the boy wear a coat?”
• “How do you know she’s sad?”

These types of complex WH questions ask students to go beyond what they see and instead make connections, draw conclusions, or explain cause and effect.

Research by Swanson (2001) shows that explicit instruction — clearly defining and modeling each WH word — helps students make faster progress with these more challenging question types. In practice, that means we can’t assume a student will automatically generalize skills from “what” to “why.” Each WH question type benefits from direct teaching, modeling, and plenty of repetition.

Functional WH Questions in Everyday Routines

Beyond structured practice, it’s important to use functional WH questions throughout the day. These are questions embedded naturally into a child’s environment and daily routines. For example:

• During snack time: “Where’s your spoon?”
• In the classroom: “Who is the line leader today?”
• At home: “Why are we washing our hands?”

Embedding practice in real contexts helps students connect WH questions to authentic communication, not just drill work. This kind of contextualized learning supports better carryover and generalization, meaning the skill sticks outside of the therapy room.

By understanding how WH questions vary — from simple WH questions that focus on labeling and describing, to complex WH questions that require reasoning and background knowledge, and functional WH questions used in everyday routines — we can meet each student where they are and design activities that move from concrete understanding to abstract reasoning.

In the next section, we’ll look at how WH question development progresses by age and skill level, so you can confidently select the right targets for your students.

WH Questions by Age and Skill Level

As with most language skills, WH question comprehension develops gradually — from concrete labeling to abstract reasoning. Understanding these stages can help you pinpoint where each student is in their learning journey and plan intervention accordingly.

WH Questions for Preschoolers

Preschoolers are just beginning to connect language with the world around them, so WH questions at this stage should focus on concrete, visual concepts — typically what and where questions.

At this level, I like to use picture cards, storybooks, and play-based routines to teach WH questions in meaningful contexts. Research by Justice and colleagues (2002) shows that literacy-based intervention (using shared storybook reading and contextual prompts) helps preschoolers improve comprehension and vocabulary simultaneously.

Here are a few examples you can use in therapy:

• “What is the girl doing?”
• “Where is the dog sleeping?”
• “What do we use to eat?”
• “Where do we go to play?”

As you read or play, pause to model and reinforce the question word’s meaning. Visual supports, like cue cards or icons, can make a huge difference in helping students recognize the purpose of each WH question word.

📘 Related Reading:

How to Use Books in Therapy

Tips to Implement Literacy-Based Therapy for Students with SLI

WH Questions for Early Elementary Students

By the early elementary years (around kindergarten and first grade), most children begin to understand and respond to who, when, and why questions. However, these question types can still be tricky for students with language delays or comprehension challenges — especially when they appear in connected text or classroom discussions.

Research by Ukrainetz (2015) highlights the importance of contextualized intervention, embedding WH questions directly into meaningful routines and activities. Instead of isolated drills, try incorporating WH questions into story retells, science observations, or classroom routines, such as:

• “Who helped the teacher clean up?”
• “When do we eat lunch?”
• “Why do we wear coats when it’s cold?”

These questions are more effective when practiced in context, giving students real-life opportunities to apply their growing comprehension skills while promoting generalization across settings.

WH Questions for Students with Autism

Students with autism often benefit from a structured, visual, and highly consistent approach when learning WH questions.

They may need explicit modeling, repeated practice, and visual supports to connect each question word to its meaning. For example, using a picture of a person for “who”, a place for “where”, or an object for “what” helps students understand what type of answer each WH question is asking for.

Here are a few ideas for building comprehension and confidence:

• Use WH question visuals (icons or cue cards) to represent each question type.
• Provide clear models and immediate feedback when students respond.
• Practice across multiple contexts — stories, classroom routines, or play — to promote generalization.

The goal is to build functional understanding, helping students recognize WH questions as tools for communication and connection, not just as structured “drill” items.

💡 Try this: The WH Questions Skill Pack includes visual cue cards, leveled assessments, and structured practice sheets that make it easy to support students with autism using evidence-based methods.

WH Question Examples and Lists (Free Preview)

Now that we’ve covered how WH questions develop, let’s look at specific examples you can use in your therapy sessions.

Having a variety of questions ready makes it easier to differentiate by level — from simple, concrete questions to more abstract, inferential ones. These question lists can be used for data collection, sessions with mixed groups, or at-home practice with families.

Here’s a free preview from our WH Questions Skill Pack, which includes printable lists and visuals for each question type.

What Questions for Speech Therapy

(Focus: Labeling objects or actions)

Simple:

• What is this? (Show a picture of a ball.)
• What do we use to eat?
• What animal says “moo”?

Complex:

• What should you do when it rains?
• What makes the story funny?
• What can we do to help a friend?

Where Questions for Speech Therapy

(Focus: Identifying places or positions)

Simple:

• Where is the cat?
• Where do we put our shoes?
• Where do we eat lunch?

Complex:

• Where do you think the boy is going?
• Where should we go if we feel sick?
• Where do butterflies live?

Who Questions for Speech Therapy

(Focus: Identifying people or roles)

Simple:

• Who is eating?
• Who helps us learn at school?
• Who is your best friend?

Complex:

• Who do you ask for help if you’re hurt?
• Who do you think will win the race?
• Who is the main character in this story?

When Questions for Speech Therapy

(Focus: Identifying time, connects sequencing and routines)

Simple:

• When do we eat breakfast?
• When do you go to bed?
• When do you brush your teeth?

Complex:

• When do flowers grow?
• When do you feel proud of yourself?
• When is the best time to wear a coat?

Why Questions for Kids

(Focus: Understanding cause and effect, developing reasoning and inferencing)

Simple:

• Why do we wear shoes?
• Why do we wash our hands?
• Why do we sleep at night?

Complex:

• Why was the girl sad in the story?
• Why do people help each other?
• Why do we need to listen to directions?

How Questions Examples

(Focus: Explaining processes and feelings)

Simple:

• How do you open a door?
• How do you draw a circle?
• How do you make a sandwich?

Complex:

• How can you tell someone is surprised?
• How do you know it’s winter?
• How can we make someone feel better?

These examples illustrate the natural progression from simple to more complex questions, moving from labeling and describing to reasoning and inferring.

If you’d like a complete list of questions organized by difficulty and question type, plus matching visuals and leveled data sheets, you can grab the full resource below, 👇

👉 Download the Complete WH Questions List and Skill Pack Activities
Includes over 120 WH questions, visual cue cards, and printable tracking forms, all aligned with evidence-backed strategies for school-based SLPs.

Teaching WH Questions in Speech Therapy (6 Evidence-Based Strategies)

Over the years, I’ve found that effective WH question intervention follows six clear steps. Each one builds on the last to help students progress from identification to mastery, and every step is backed by research.

These strategies come straight from the framework I use in my own sessions (and inside the WH Questions Skill Pack): Assess → Teach → Scaffold → Focus → Embed → Repeat.

1. Assess — Find the Starting Point

Before teaching, we need to know exactly where each student is starting.

Students with language delays often give responses that are appropriate but inaccurate. For example, answering “who” with a person, but naming the wrong one. Research by Parnell and colleagues (1986) highlights this distinction and reminds us that accuracy comes after appropriateness.

I always begin with a leveled assessment that includes:

• Simple picture-based questions (“Who is eating?”)
• General knowledge questions (“Where do you sleep?”)
• Comprehension questions about short passages

This helps pinpoint whether a student needs work at the picture, sentence, or story level. The WH Questions Skill Pack includes an assessment and probe set that makes this step quick and consistent.

🧩 Pro Tip: Once you identify the student’s level, use that same probe to monitor progress throughout intervention.

2. Teach — Use Explicit Instruction and Visuals

Once we know where to start, it’s time to teach the meaning of each WH word explicitly.

Research by Swanson (2001) supports explicit teaching as one of the most effective ways to improve comprehension. I like to introduce one question word at a time using:

• Visual cue cards (with icons or simple images)
• Student-friendly definitions (e.g., What = a thing or action; Who = a person)
• Concrete examples (“What is she doing?” → running)

You can make your own visuals or grab the pre-made ones from the Skill Pack. Each card pairs an icon with examples and definitions, so students can see the difference between question types.

👉 Explore the WH Questions Skill Pack.It includes visuals for every WH word plus student definition cards.

3. Scaffold — Move From Simple to More Complex WH Questions

Once students grasp the basic meaning of each question word, we start to build complexity.

I move from:

1. Questions about pictures or objects
2. To general knowledge questions
3. Then comprehension questions about stories
4. Finally, conversation-level questions

This scaffolded hierarchy helps students bridge from concrete understanding to inferential thinking.
As Swanson (2001) emphasized, success with more complex WH questions depends on clear, sequenced instruction — not just repetition.

Example:

• Simple: “What is this?” (show a picture)
• Complex: “Why do we use an umbrella?” (requires reasoning)

4. Focus — Teach One WH Type at a Time

While it’s tempting to target multiple question types at once, research (including Parnell et al., 1986 and Isenberg, 2014) supports focusing on one question type until mastery.

For example:

• Start with “what” and “who” questions, since these are more concrete.
• Once students achieve 80% accuracy, move on to “where,” “when,” “why,” and “how.”

This approach reduces cognitive load and helps solidify comprehension.

🧩 Therapy Tip: If your student already understands “what,” use it to support a harder question type (e.g., contrast “Who is eating?” vs. “What is he eating?”).

5. Embed — Practice in Meaningful Contexts

After structured drill practice, it’s time to move into real-world application.

Research by Justice and colleagues (2002) and Ukrainetz (2015) shows that embedding WH question practice into literacy-based or contextualized intervention improves generalization.

Here are some ways to embed practice:

• During shared storybook reading
• In classroom routines (“Who is the line leader?” “Why are we washing our hands?”)
• Through play-based or functional activities (“Where should the toy go?”)

Embedding WH questions in meaningful contexts turns abstract drills into functional communication.

📘 Related Resources:

• Tips to Implement Literacy-Based Therapy for Students with SLI
• How to Use Books in Therapy
• How to Use a Pocket Chart for Easy Literacy-Based Therapy

6. Repeat — Provide High Repetition and Varied Practice

Finally, students need lots of practice in many contexts.

Repetition builds mastery, but varied repetition builds generalization.

This means asking questions across:

• Different materials (pictures, books, real life)
• Different partners (teacher, parent, peer)
• Different environments (therapy room, classroom, home)
  

It’s kind of like basketball drills. Practicing “dribbling” (structured tasks) is important, but students only master the skill when they can “play the game” (use WH questions in natural conversation).

The WH Questions Skill Pack includes structured practice materials and story-based prompts that make this kind of repetition simple to plan and track.

Using the SLP Now WH Questions Skill Pack

If you’re ready to put these strategies into action, the WH Questions Skill Pack makes it easy to assess, teach, and track progress — all in one place.

I originally created these materials while managing a triple-digit caseload, trying to make therapy both effective and doable. The goal was simple: give SLPs everything they need to target WH questions with research-backed structure and minimal prep time.

Here’s what’s included:

🧩 1. Leveled Assessments

Quickly identify each student’s starting point with assessments that move from simple to complex WH questions, from picture-based prompts to story-level comprehension. You’ll also find progress probes that make it easy to measure growth across sessions.

Perfect for goal writing and data collection.

🎨 2. Visuals and Cue Cards

Visual supports are one of the most powerful tools for students with language delays or autism. The pack includes WH question visuals for each question type, including icons, definitions, and examples.

These visuals are especially helpful in ABA-style sessions, where students benefit from consistency and repetition. They also work beautifully in small groups or whole-class lessons.

👉 Try pairing the cue cards with real-life photos, storybooks, or interactive classroom questions for quick generalization practice.

📘 3. Structured Practice Activities

Each WH type comes with guided activities designed to align with the six-step teaching framework:

• Start with explicit instruction
• Move through scaffolded levels
• Practice within meaningful contexts

Activities include picture cards, short passages, and conversation prompts, so you can easily target receptive and expressive WH questions at any level.

📊 4. Data Sheets and Goal-Tracking Tools

You’ll find editable tracking sheets that make it easy to monitor both appropriateness and accuracy, a distinction emphasized by Parnell et al. (1986). These templates help you visualize progress and report growth efficiently, without extra paperwork.

🌟 Why SLPs Love It

• Saves hours of prep each week
• Works for any age or setting (preschool through secondary)
• Built on evidence-based strategies from Swanson (2001), Justice et al. (2002), and Ukrainetz (2015)
• Includes everything you need to start (o additional materials required!)

👉 Access the WH Questions Skill Pack Now →
Get evidence-based visuals, leveled assessments, and structured activities designed to make WH question instruction simple, effective, and fun.

Setting Goals and Tracking Progress

Once you’ve assessed your students and started using evidence-based strategies, the next step is setting clear, measurable goals and tracking progress along the way.

I like to think of this process as closing the loop. We start by assessing where the student is (their baseline), then we teach, scaffold,embed the skill, and finally, we measure growth to show what’s working.

🧠 Writing SMART IEP Goals for WH Questions

Strong goals focus on both accuracy and context. It’s not just about answering the question correctly; it’s about understanding and using the skill functionally across settings.

Here are a few examples:

Simple WH Questions:

• When given a field of 3 visual choices, Student will answer “what” questions about a story with 80% accuracy across three sessions.
• When given a short story, Student will answer “who” and “what” questions about the story with 80% accuracy across three sessions.

Complex WH Questions:

• After listening to a short story, Student will answer “why” and “how” questions with 70% accuracy.
• Given a classroom narrative or book, Student will answer inferential questions about the story with 80% accuracy across three sessions.
  

Functional WH Questions:

• During classroom routines, Student will answer functional WH questions (e.g., “Where is your backpack?”) with 80% accuracy across three consecutive sessions.
• During classroom activities, Student will ask appropriate WH questions to gather information in 4 out of 5 opportunities.
  

These goals can easily be adapted for your students’ unique needs.

📊 Tracking Progress Effectively

Consistent data collection helps you see whether students are generalizing their skills and whether your current strategy needs adjusting.

Here’s what I like to track:

• Appropriateness: Did they respond with the correct type of answer (e.g., a person for “who,” a place for “where”)?
• Accuracy: Was their response correct based on the content?
• Cueing Level: How much support did they need (independent, verbal cue, visual prompt, etc.)?
• Context: Were they successful in structured vs. naturalistic activities?

The data sheets in the WH Questions Skill Pack make this easy by breaking progress into small, measurable steps. You can record both accuracy and cueing, see growth trends over time, and quickly share updates with teachers or parents.

🧩 Connecting Data to Instruction

Data shouldn’t just live on a sheet; it should drive your next steps.

• If a student’s accuracy is improving but responses are still inappropriate (e.g., answering “where” with a person), revisit explicit teaching of question word meanings.
• If accuracy is high in structured drills but low in conversation, focus on embedded, contextualized practice.
• If progress plateaus, consider targeting one question type at a time again before mixing multiple WH forms.
  

By consistently looping data into your instruction, you’ll ensure each student continues to build mastery — not just in the therapy room, but across their entire school day.

FAQs About Teaching WH Questions

Even though WH questions are a familiar goal for most school-based SLPs, there are always a few tricky areas that come up in practice. Here are some of the most common questions I hear from fellow clinicians, along with strategies and resources to help you feel confident in your approach.

At what age do kids learn WH questions?

WH question understanding develops gradually between ages 2 and 6, though the exact timeline varies by child.

According to Blank, Rose, and Berlin (1978) and later summarized by Paul and Norbury (2012), WH-question understanding typically develops between ages 2 and 6, though every child progresses at their own pace.

Here’s a general progression:

• Age 2–3: Begins to answer what and where questions (with visual support).
• Age 3–4: Starts to understand who and when questions.
• Age 4–5: Begins to respond to why questions (cause and effect).
• Age 5–6+: Understands how questions (processes, emotions, and reasoning).

If a child is struggling with WH questions beyond these ages, especially in comparison to peers, that’s a good indicator for targeted speech therapy support.

How do visuals help teach WH questions?

Visuals are a game-changer for students who need support with WH questions. A simple icon or cue card helps students connect the question word to its meaning. For example, showing a person for “who” or a place for “where.”

Visuals reduce cognitive load and give students something concrete to anchor their understanding. Research by Swanson (2001) supports this approach, showing that explicit instruction paired with visual scaffolding leads to stronger comprehension outcomes.

The WH Questions Skill Pack includes visual cards and student-friendly definitions for each WH type, so you can introduce, cue, and review the skill consistently.

What’s the best order to teach WH questions?

In general, start with simple and concrete question types and move toward abstract or inferential ones.

Here’s a hierarchy that works well for most students:

1. What (objects and actions)
2. Where (places)
3. Who (people)
4. When (time or sequence)
5. Why (reasoning)
6. How (processes or emotions)
   

This sequence aligns with developmental norms and research showing that simple WH questions (e.g., “what,” “where”) develop before complex WH questions (e.g., “why,” “how”).

How can I make WH question practice more engaging?

Keep it fun and functional!

• Incorporate WH questions into storybooks, games, and classroom routines.
• Use visual supports and movement-based activities (e.g., scavenger hunts.
• Rotate between structured drills and open-ended tasks to maintain engagement while still targeting accuracy.
  

You can find dozens of ideas in the WH Questions Skill Pack, which includes printable visuals, story-based practice pages, and leveled assessments that make planning a breeze.

Up next, we’ll wrap up with a quick summary of the research behind these strategies, plus related resources if you want to dig deeper into literacy-based therapy and contextualized intervention approaches.

Evidence & Further Reading

As with all of our therapy approaches, everything we’ve talked about in this guide is grounded in research. Below are a few of the studies and frameworks that inspired the strategies shared here — along with related blog posts that show how to put the research into practice.

🧠 Evidence & Research Highlights

Parnell et al. (1986)
Found that students with language delays often give appropriate but inaccurate responses to WH questions. This study helps us remember that children may understand the structure of a question before mastering its meaning, which is why explicit instruction and consistent data collection are so important.

Swanson (2001)
Demonstrated that explicit instruction significantly improves comprehension skills for students with language-based learning difficulties. When targeting WH questions, this means clearly defining each question word, modeling responses, and using visuals to support understanding.

Justice et al. (2002)
Supported the use of literacy-based intervention, showing that shared storybook reading with embedded WH questions improves comprehension and expressive language.

Ukrainetz (2015)
Highlighted the effectiveness of contextualized language intervention, embedding WH questions into meaningful classroom or play activities to encourage generalization and functional use.

Together, these studies form the foundation of the Assess → Teach → Scaffold → Focus → Embed → Repeat model used throughout this post and in the WH Questions Skill Pack.

📚 Related Blog Posts

If you’d like to explore more ways to use these evidence-based strategies in your sessions, here are a few related resources:

• Tips to Implement Literacy-Based Therapy for Students with SLI — Learn how to embed WH question practice within book-based units and classroom routines.
• How to Use Books in Therapy — Practical strategies to connect storybooks, comprehension questions, and language goals.
• How to Use a Pocket Chart for Easy Literacy-Based Therapy — A visual scaffolding technique that makes WH question practice more interactive and structured.
  

💡 Putting It All Together

If you’re looking for a way to apply this research without spending hours planning, the WH Questions Skill Pack combines all of these strategies into one easy-to-use resource. You’ll find leveled assessments, visuals, and printable data sheets that bring the research to life, so you can focus more on your students and less on prep time.

✅ Evidence-based. Classroom-friendly. Ready when you are.

That’s a wrap on WH questions! I hope these strategies, examples, and tools make it easier for you to plan effective therapy sessions and help your students build lasting comprehension and communication skills.

Transcript