Useful questions to elicit more info from kids/ help kids explore issues – from UK Ed. Psychologist Forum 2020

Useful questions to elicit more info from kids/ help kids explore issues – from UK Ed Psychologist Forum 2020

‘I know you may have been looking on the internet.  Is there anything that you are concerned about? ‘ 

‘ Is there anything you have told me that you feel I should have taken more notice of ?’

“Is there anything else I should have asked about?”

Is there anything I haven’t asked you about that you expected me to ask?

Is there anything we’ve talked about that you feel angry / upset about?

‘What is the most important thing that people need to know about you?’

If I asked x what they thought about your learning/behaviour/etc, what do you think they would say?

‘If there was one thing you wished your teachers knew about you, what would it be?’

‘What are you going to do differently as a result of this discussion? What else might you try?’

To teachers/parents ‘when is she/he at their best?’

” What is it that makes you say that?”

‘ What did you do/ what worked/ how did you manage the last time this happened/ when you’ve faced this before. ‘

Research  shows there is a subtle difference between asking something like ‘is there anything else you’d like to ask?’ etc., as compared with something like ‘what else would you like to ask?’, or ‘what other things should we talk about?’ etc. The first tended to elicit the ‘no, that’s it, thank you’ type of response and the second allowed the respondent to raise more issues/questions.