What prerequisite skill is essential for a student with ASD to self-initiate questions with peers and adults?

The essential prerequisite skill for a student with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) to self-initiate questions with peers and adults is having equivalent receptive and expressive language ability. This means that the student must be able to understand language (receptive) and also use language effectively to express their thoughts and questions (expressive). Without this foundational skill, a student may struggle to both comprehend what is being said by others and articulate their own inquiries, making spontaneous communication with peers and adults challenging.

Developing equivalent receptive and expressive language skills allows a student to appropriately process social interactions and engage in meaningful conversation. This skill set is crucial for initiating questions, as it enables the individual not only to formulate questions in their mind but also to verbalize them effectively, facilitating interaction and social relationships.

In contrast, options related to social-communication goals or articulation focus on other aspects of communication or social interaction that, while important, do not directly address the fundamental need for language comprehension and production required for initiating conversations. Additionally, responding to nuanced social cues is more about interpretation rather than the basic language skills necessary for initiating questions.