Running head: TEACHING CHILDREN WITH AUTISM

Teaching Children with Autism to Request Information

Grace Healey
Molloy College

TEACHING CHILDREN WITH AUTISM TO REQUEST INFORMATION

Teaching Children with Autism to Request Information

Requesting information, both in and out of the classroom, is an essential skill that
allows people to ask for help and acquire knowledge. For children with autism,
requesting information can be an incredibly challenging task, due to their struggle
articulating questions (Bowen, Bradley, Shillingsburg, Velntino & Zavatkay, 2010).
Another reason children with autism struggle to ask questions is because of the lack of
reinforcing value of the information. While children with autism must be taught to ask
who?, what?, where?, when? and why?, various types of reinforcement are
also necessary for any progress to be evident (Bowen, Bradley, Shillingsburg, Velntino &
Zavatkay, 2010). If the behavior is controlled by an establishing operation, a condition
that increases the effectiveness of a reinforcer, the behavior is categorized as manding
for information. An establishing operation, along with language programming, has been
shown to effectively teach children with autism to request information (Bowen, Bradley,
Shillingsburg, Velntino & Zavatkay, 2010). This teaching strategy is especially significant
for special education teachers, special education teacher aides, school psychologists and
parents of children with autism.
The case study got its results through an experimental design. The two
participants were asked five questions in order to establish a baseline, and were then
given a probed question, asked maintenance questions and had to grasp a scenario
(Bowen, Bradley, Shillingsburg, Velntino & Zavatkay, 2010). Direct teacher intervention
was needed to help the children produce specific responses, while general responses,
once taught, occurred in almost every scenario. The results showed that teaching a
general response led to more generalized requests. General requests are only helpful

TEACHING CHILDREN WITH AUTISM TO REQUEST INFORMATION

when the listener can distinguish what the speaker is asking about (Bowen, Bradley,
Shillingsburg, Velntino & Zavatkay, 2010). It is usually more beneficial to have a specific
request, however, instead of only asking where? or which? Overall, the most
effective way of teaching children with autism to request information occurs when the
instructor manipulates the establishing operation (Bowen, Bradley, Shillingsburg,
Velntino & Zavatkay, 2010). By prompting students to ask more than one question, or a
specific question at first, and then positively reinforcing them, the student is essentially
conditioned to inquire about information.
As someone who wishes to be a special education teacher, I think this is
incredibly helpful. Requesting information, as previously noted, is just as important in a
school setting as it is out of one. Just as this study depicted, the most effective way to
encourage a child to ask for information is both through teaching them how, and then
reinforcing their responses (Bowen, Bradley, Shillingsburg, Velntino & Zavatkay, 2010).
One vital aspect of teaching a child with autism to request information is to have an
establishing operation. As previously stated, an establishing operation is an aversion that
tends to increase the rate of the reinforcer (Bowen, Bradley, Shillingsburg, Velntino &
Zavatkay, 2010). For example, if a child with autism asks when it is time to go home and
the teacher responds, not until later, the child is more inclined to ask when? because
the teacher gave a general response. That being said, throughout the day it would be
crucial that I respond to the students in ways that incline them to ask another question to
generate more specific responses. Additionally, lesson plans would need to include
elements that leave the students wanting to know more. In the event the students do not

TEACHING CHILDREN WITH AUTISM TO REQUEST INFORMATION

inquire about more information, I could prompt them depending on the types of questions
I believe they should be asking.
As someone who has worked with children with autism, and aspires to be a
special education teacher, I find this topic to be of extreme importance. For those who do
not have autism or a language delay, requesting information is second nature. In order to
receive a more specific answer, people instantaneously know to ask another question,
and, when given a general response, can distinguish what the person is talking about.
That skill does not come naturally to those with autism, however, and can require a
substantial amount of time to be taught. I believe special education goes beyond teaching
children what is in the curriculum. Special education teachers must teach their students
life skills, manners, how to interact with peers, and how to protect themselves. Teaching a
child with autism how to request information may seem insignificant to some, but it is a
skill that has the potential to make conversation among them and their peers, teachers and
parents much more stimulating.

TEACHING CHILDREN WITH AUTISM TO REQUEST INFORMATION

References
Bowen, C., Bradley, D., Shillingsburg, M., Valentino, A., & Zavatkay, D. (2010).
Teaching Children with Autism to Request Information. Research in Autism
Spectrum Disorders, 670-679.