WH questions IEP goals

By the IEP Atlas editorial teamLast updated November 1, 2026

Short answer

A WH questions IEP goal names the question types, the material, how the student answers and a criterion with a denominator. Example: after a short read-aloud, Ava will answer who, what and where questions in 8 of 10, up from 4 of 10. Teach concrete questions before why and how, and count device or picture answers.

WH questions are the questions that start with who, what, where, when, why and how. They run through every school day: story questions, science questions, "What happened?" after recess. A student who answers "where" with a person or "why" with "yes" is missing what the question word asks for.

The 20 goals below follow the usual order of difficulty, from concrete questions about what the student can see, to questions about time and reason, to story questions, asking questions and inference. Each goal shows the condition, a baseline, the criterion and the measure, with a template link. Numbers are illustrations. The speech therapy IEP goals pillar covers every speech and language area.

How to choose a WH question goal

Probe each question type separately with 5 items before you choose. Many students answer "what" and "where" well and fall apart on "when" and "why." Answering questions depends on vocabulary, sentence understanding and reasoning, so a WH goal sits inside the student's wider language profile.^[1]

What you see	Sub-skill to target	Measurement method
Answers with the wrong kind of word ("where" gets a name)	Matching question word to answer type	Items correct out of 10
Answers about a picture in view but not from memory	Who, what and where with visuals, then without	Items correct out of 10
"Because" with no reason, or no answer to "why"	When, why and how	Items correct out of 10
Lost on story questions after a read-aloud	Story WH questions	Questions correct out of 10 per story
Never asks questions, waits or guesses	Asking WH questions	Opportunities; questions per session
Answers literal questions, misses "why do you think"	Inference questions	Items correct with a reason

The WH questions glossary entry gives a short definition for the team.

A note for gestalt language processors: a child at an early gestalt stage may echo the question instead of answering it. Drilling "What is it?" can cause stress without building language. See speech therapy goals for echolalia and wait on WH drills until the child is combining words.

Who, what and where goals

Start with pictures and objects in view, then move to recall. Accept pointing, signs or a device.

Given a picture scene and 10 who, what and where questions, Leo will answer correctly in 9 of 10 across 3 sessions. Baseline: 5 of 10. Measure: item probe. Template.
Given a field of 4 pictures and 10 spoken who or where questions, Leo will point to the correct answer in 8 of 10 on 2 consecutive probes. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
Given 10 spoken questions with picture choices, Maya will choose the picture that answers the question in 8 of 10 across 3 sessions. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
Using her communication device during a picture task, Maya will answer who, what and where questions in 7 of 10 across 3 sessions. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.

Weak: "Leo will answer WH questions." Measurable: Goal 1 above. It names the question types, the material and the count.

When, why and how goals

These questions need time concepts, cause and effect, and steps. Teach the answer frames ("When" gets a time or event; "Why" gets "because" plus a reason).

Given 10 questions about familiar daily events, Omar will answer when with a time or event (after lunch, at night) in 8 of 10 across 3 sessions. Baseline: 3 of 10. Template.
Given 10 picture scenes showing a problem, Omar will answer why questions with a reason in 7 of 10 on 2 consecutive probes. Baseline: 2 of 10, says "because." Template.
Given 10 questions about familiar activities (how do you brush your teeth?), Lily will answer how with at least 2 steps or a method in 8 of 10 across 3 sessions. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
Given 10 questions using yesterday, today and tomorrow, Lily will answer with the right time in 8 of 10 across 2 probes. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.

Weak: "Omar will answer higher-level questions." Measurable: Goal 2 above. "Higher-level" names nothing; why questions with a reason can be counted.

Story and read-aloud question goals

Move WH goals into class texts as soon as you can. Ask the teacher for next week's read-aloud.

After hearing a short story read aloud, Ava will answer who, what and where questions in 8 of 10 across 3 stories. Baseline: 4 of 10. Template.
During a class read-aloud, Ava will answer a WH question from the teacher in 4 of 5 opportunities across 2 weeks. Baseline: 1 of 5. Measure: opportunities. Template.
During a 10-minute read-aloud, Ben will stay with the book and answer one question about what happened in 4 of 5 read-alouds. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
After a story in English or his home language, Ben will answer 10 story questions in either language with 7 of 10 correct across 3 stories. Baseline: 3 of 10 in English only. Template.

Weak: "Ava will improve reading comprehension." Measurable: Goal 1 above. It sets the text, the question types and the criterion.

For older readers, WH goals become comprehension goals. See IEP goals for reading comprehension for that step.

Asking WH questions

Asking questions is how a student gets information without waiting for an adult. It also builds conversation.

During play or a barrier game, Kai will ask a what or where question to find a missing item in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 sessions. Baseline: 0 of 5. Template.
When asking a question in class, Kai will use correct word order ("Where is my folder?") in 8 of 10 questions across 3 sessions. Baseline: 4 of 10, says "Where my folder is?" Template.
When information is missing (no scissors, unclear direction), Rosa will ask a WH question to get it in 4 of 5 opportunities across 3 weeks. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
During a conversation with a peer, Rosa will ask the partner 2 WH questions about themselves across 3 of 4 conversations. Baseline: 0 of 4. Template.

Weak: "Kai will ask questions appropriately." Measurable: Goal 3 above. It names the situation and counts opportunities.

Question words and inference goals

Given 10 spoken questions, Theo will tell what kind of answer each question word needs (who gets a person, where gets a place) in 9 of 10 across 2 sessions. Baseline: 6 of 10. Template.
Given 10 pictures with clues, Theo will tell what probably happened and name the clue in 7 of 10 on 3 consecutive probes. Baseline: 2 of 10. Template.
During a read-aloud, Grace will predict what will happen next and give a reason in 4 of 5 stops across 3 stories. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.
Given a short grade-level text and 5 why or how questions, Grace will answer with evidence from the text in 4 of 5 across 3 probes. Baseline: 1 of 5. Template.

Weak: "Grace will make inferences." Measurable: Goal 2 above. The clue requirement shows reasoning, not a guess.

The inferencing topic collects more inference goals.

How to measure WH question goals

Item probes by question type: use 10 items and tally each type separately, so a report can say "who and what at 9 of 10, why at 3 of 10." Record on the accuracy data sheet.
Opportunities in class: for read-aloud and asking goals, count chances and responses on the opportunity data sheet.
New material each probe: use new pictures or stories so the student is not remembering answers.
Response mode: pointing, signs and devices count. Keep choices in different positions.

Probe every 2 to 4 weeks and graph by question type. Repeated measures show which types are moving.^[2] For tracking a group, see speech therapy data collection.

Short-term objectives for WH goals

Step down the support: picture in view, then picture removed, then spoken only. Or step up the question type: who and what, then where, then when, then why. For the story goal: by the first report, 8 of 10 with pictures from the book in view; by the second, 8 of 10 with the book closed; by the third, 8 of 10 during a class read-aloud. The short-term objectives guide has the format.

Adapting by grade and profile

Grade or profile	Typical focus	Example change
Preschool	What and where with objects	Answer during play with toys
K to 2	Who, what, where in stories; when	Use read-aloud books
Grades 3 to 5	Why, how and inference	Use science and social studies texts
Middle and high school	Questions with evidence; asking for clarification	Use textbook passages and class discussion
AAC user	Device answers; aided modeling	Model question words on the device
Nonspeaking autistic student	Choices and pointing before spoken answers	Point to the picture that answers

For more on students who use few or no spoken words, see speech therapy goals for nonverbal autism. The WH questions topic gathers templates from every area. The goal checker catches missing criteria.

Frequently asked questions

In what order should WH questions be taught?

Most SLPs start with what and where about things in view, then who, then when, then why and how. Individual students vary, so probe each type before choosing and target the ones the student misses.

Can a student answer WH questions with pictures or a device?

Yes. The goal measures understanding of the question, so pointing, signs and devices all count. Note the response mode in the goal so the data stay consistent.

How many WH question types should one goal include?

Group types the student is learning together, such as who, what and where, and tally them separately in your data. Keep why and how in their own goal, since they usually progress more slowly.

Use it in IEP Atlas

Sources

Spoken Language Disorders, ASHA
Progress Monitoring: Data & Goal Setting, National Center on Intensive Intervention

Written and checked by the IEP Atlas editorial team under our editorial policy. This guide describes general practice and federal rules. It is not legal advice; your state may add requirements, and the IEP team makes the decisions for each student.