As the school year approaches (and in some cases, begins) parents across the country are vexed with the same question: How do I find out what happened in school today?! While typically developing children can be pestered with questions until they finally say more than "nothing" (a use, by the way, of negative reinforcement), many children with autism will struggle to answer such questions. Below is one strategy that has been helpful in teaching children to recall events from school.

Basic Format

At the end of the day, the teacher or teacher's aide asks the student one question about the day (e.g., "What was for lunch in the cafeteria?" "What letter did we talk about today?" "What did you make (in art)?" "What book did we read?"). The student answers the question. If the student cannot answer the question, the teacher prompts an appropriate answer. The teacher writes the question on a note card, with the answer on the back, and indicates if the answer was prompted. When the student goes home, his parents say hi, take the note card out of his backpack, and ask that question.

Variations to the Format

• The student may be asked the activity immediately after the activity occurred (e.g., "What did you make (in art)?") rather than at the end of the day.
• The student may be asked to answer the same question a few times throughout the day to help him remember the answer.
• The question can be made easier or harder, based on the student's current skill level (e.g., asking "What book did we read?" (The Three Little Bears) vs. "Who was in the story?" (a bear).
• The question at school may include a visual prompt to remind the student of the answer (e.g., ask "Who was in the story?" while showing a page in the book with a bear on it).
• The student may be asked to draw a picture of his answer on the back of the note card or the teacher may draw a picture of the answer. The picture can be shown after the student gives the correct answer.
• The answer or picture of the answer may initially be shown to the student at home to prompt correct responses.
• The question may be asked at home three or more times, with gradually more time in between when the question is asked, to focus on the student's ability to recall that answer during the day.
• Parents may look at the answer at home first and get 3 different pictures that the child must choose from (e.g., for, "What did you eat for lunch?" parents either show (easy) a car, a shoe, and pizza or (more difficult) pizza, a banana, and a hot dog).
• The student may be asked to answer 2 or 3 questions rather than just one question.
• For some children, the above variations, and even the basic format, may be gradually faded.

Answering questions about what happened at school is a difficult skill. Besides the motivation to answer, children must:

• Understand the question that is asked
• Have the language necessary to answer the question and
• Recall past events

The above format can serve as a starting point for teaching this functional skill.