I Speak, I Ask, I Learn: The Effectiveness of Teaching Question-Asking Through the Mand-Model Technique

Introduction: It is known that when children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) between the ages of 24-36 months do not exhibit age-appropriate language development performance, they are described as having “delayed language and speech” (DLS). Children's act of asking questions is not only an indicator of interest, curiosity, desire to learn, and problem-solving skills, but also provides insight into their language abilities such as social communication, comprehension, and syntax. One of the various approaches used in therapies for language disorders is an intervention called Milieu Language Teaching techniques (Milieu Language Teaching). The study aims to determine the effectiveness of the Mand-Model (MM) technique, one of the milieu language teaching techniques, in teaching a child with DLD to ask questions such as “what is this”, “who is this” and “where is this”.Method: The multiple probe design across behaviors, one of the single-subject research methods, was used in this study investigating the effectiveness of the MM technique in teaching a child with DLD to ask the questions “what is this”, “who is this” and “where is this”. A 35-month-old girl with DLD was included in the study. Observer reliability (100%), interobserver reliability (95%), intervention reliability (100%) and social validity data were collected.Findings: It was shown that the MM technique was effective in teaching the child with DLD to ask all three questions and then to use question patterns.Discussion: The use of evidence-based practices by speech and language therapists in clinical interventions for children with Developmental Language Disorder (DLD) enhances the effectiveness of the intervention. The MM technique not only supports children with DLD in learning to ask questions, but also provides additional benefits by promoting social communication skills such as initiating verbal interactions and expanding their vocabulary. It is recommended that similar studies be conducted with different groups of children (such as Down syndrome, autism, developmental disabilities) and for different language skills.