How to Teach YES / NO Questions to Speech Delayed Children

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Teach with a context
Wrong puzzle pieces
If your child likes puzzles then great! Keep giving the wrong puzzle pieces to your child (maybe from another set) when it doesn’t fit, then you have the correct context to teach the word “no”.

Wrong tools
Again, think about what your child is using to play, eat and use things around the house. Give them the wrong tool to do so. An example would be to give a broken spoon or fork when they ask for it. Or during play, give them a toy that has no batteries or something that you need to fix.

Not the thing they want
Another context you can use is to give your child something that he doesn’t want. If he asks for cookies, give something totally useless to your child. When you see him pushing it away or throwing it, then you can teach “no’ it's the perfect context!

Is this a “....” game
Make sure he knows all the vocab
Before you begin, make sure that your child knows all the vocabulary of the toys and materials you’re about to use.

Set up a routine of naming the items
Have you ever seen your child watch videos that just keep on naming items? That’s exactly what we’re trying to do but in real life. Do around 5-8 items and keep on naming it like “this is a ____” and then let your child go, do not label more than 10 items or else it will become very repetitive.

Saying the wrong thing
Once the routine is established, say the wrong thing from time to time. Since your child already knows what’s coming next and what the item you’re holding is. It would make sense for him to reject what you have said, so now you can teach “no” with the correct context.

What not to say
Do you want _____?
Asking this kind of question usually ends in silence or your child just repeating after you. Remember, a speech delayed child cannot comprehend things that they cannot see right here and right now. So if you want to ask this question, make sure you’re holding the item up in front of their eyes. Then you can prompt a “yes” or a “no” based on their body language.

Are you xxxx-ing?
Parents love asking questions like “are you eating?” when the child is indeed eating. Whilst the first few times the child might actually respond to you. You have to remember that this kind of question serves no purpose but for you to feel happy from him responding to you. It becomes slightly annoying sometimes and this is where some children decide to leave or hit their loved ones.

Do you like ___?
Like is an abstract concept. And plus, how can we know for sure that your child likes something or not? We can only know if she wants something for us or not at a particular time. So try not to ask these types of questions, because you cannot prompt and teach, the context is too vague for him!