Promoting Literacy Development in Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorder

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Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) is a lifelong developmental disorder that can impact an individual’s ability to communicate, interact socially, and develop literacy skills. People with ASD may have difficulty understanding the spoken word, producing language, and reading or writing words. Fortunately, there are many strategies that speech and language therapists, teachers, and parents can use to support literacy development in individuals with autism spectrum disorder

Explicit Instruction

Explicit instruction involves breaking down skills into concrete steps that learners can practice one at a time. This type of instruction has been found to be particularly helpful for individuals with ASD because it helps them understand what is expected of them and provides structure for learning new concepts. It also allows learners to receive feedback on their performance so they can make adjustments as needed. Explicit instruction can be used in conjunction with other strategies such as visual supports and repeated practice to help literacy development in individuals with autism spectrum disorder learn more effectively.

Explicit instruction is a structured approach to teaching that provides clear expectations for learning. It emphasizes modeling, guided practice, reinforcement of skills, and evaluation of progress through practice and feedback. Through explicit instruction, students learn how to apply the information they have learned in meaningful ways. Additionally, explicit instruction allows both teacher and student to monitor progress so that any areas of difficulty can be addressed early on before they become larger problems.

When it comes to reading specifically, explicit instruction helps students break down complex processes into smaller steps so they can more easily comprehend them. For example, if a student needs help with phonemic awareness—the ability to hear sounds within words—an instructor might use manipulatives such as blocks or cards with individual letters written on them to help the student understand how each letter makes a sound when combined with other letters. This type of activity helps build a strong foundation for reading success by giving the student hands-on experience with phonemic awareness skills to assist in the literacy development in individuals with autism spectrum disorder

Not only does this type of teaching provide clear expectations for learning but it also offers opportunities for active problem solving that promote higher-level thinking skills such as analysis and synthesis. Additionally, by breaking complex tasks into smaller components that are easier to understand, students are able to make connections between different aspects of the language which helps them develop their overall comprehension skills.

Visual Supports

Visual supports are tools such as pictures, diagrams, charts, or videos that are used to provide additional information about a task or concept. For people with autism spectrum disorder who may have difficulty understanding spoken language or abstract ideas, visuals can serve as a bridge between concrete objects and abstract concepts. Visual supports can also help reduce anxiety by providing structure for learning activities; for instance, a picture schedule of the day’s activities can help an individual anticipate when certain tasks will occur throughout the day.

Applying this to the reading process a student’s schedule of the reading lesson might be:

Part 1 REVIEW
- Sight words
- QUICK DRILLS
  - Phonemic Awareness
    Visual Drill
    Auditory Drill
    Blending Drill
    Concept Review (previous lessons)
PART 2: NEW MATERIAL
- New Lesson/Rule
PART 3: READING
- Fluency sheets
  Reader (controlled text)
PART 4: SPELLING AND WRITING DICTATION
- Word Work: dictate word(s)
  Use letter cards to spell these words
  Write the same words
  Dictate Sentences
PART 5: OTHER MATERIAL
- Read aloud
  Vocabulary
  Grammar
  Handwriting/cursive
PART 6: WRAP UP: Celebrate success

Using these this type of visual schedule will assist the student in knowing what comes next. If you use the same visual structure it will help the child anticipate their response. The use of visuals has shown great success in the literacy development in individuals with autism spectrum disorder

Modeling

Modeled reading is another strategy used to support literacy development in individuals with ASD. Modeling involves showing the learner how to read words or phrases aloud by breaking them down into smaller chunks that they can read more easily. The modeler should check comprehension after each chunk of text has been read aloud so that the learner understands the material being presented. Through this process of modeling and repeated practice, learners may become more comfortable decoding text on their own without relying on a modeler’s assistance every time they encounter new words or phrases.

The student may need to know what a ‘reader’ thinks or wonders about. Sometimes a student with ASD may read the words but not know that they also need to be thinking about the meaning of these words.This then impacts their comprehension.

I had a student that was reading ” Stone Fox” by John Reynolds Gardiner. It is a very sad and touching book and as the student was reading it I began to cry. The student looked at me in wonder ” What’s the matter?” I needed to have the child re-read the page again to have them understand why I was so said. The child had read all the words correctly but did not read for meaning.

Conclusion:

Supporting literacy development in individuals with autism spectrum disorder requires a combination of explicit instruction, visual supports, and modeling techniques tailored specifically to meet each person’s unique needs and abilities. Speech-language therapists have experience working with individuals who have communication disabilities and knowledge about effective instructional methods for teaching reading skills; thus they are well-positioned to provide guidance on how best to approach this challenge. Furthermore, teachers and parents play an important role in helping children learn how to read by providing encouragement and consistent reinforcement during reading activities at home or at school. Together these professionals form an invaluable team dedicated to helping individuals with autism spectrum disorder reach their full potential!

REFERENCES:

Accardo, Amy L., and Elizabeth G. Finnegan. “Teaching Reading Comprehension to Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Discrepancies between Teacher and Research-Recommended Practices.” Autism: The International Journal of Research and Practice, SAGE Publications. 2455 Teller Road, Thousand Oaks, CA 91320. Tel: 800-818-7243; Tel: 805-499-9774; Fax: 800-583-2665; e-Mail: Journals@Sagepub.com; Web Site: Http://Sagepub.com, 31 Dec. 2018, https://eric.ed.gov/?q=autism%2Bspectrum&pg=40&id=EJ1200856.
Exceptional Thinkers. “Learning to Read… with Autism.” Exceptional Thinkers, 30 Jan. 2020, https://teachingexceptionalthinkers.com/2019/02/13/teaching-kids-with-autism-how-to-read/.
Minot, David. “Evidence-Based Reading Intervention Practices for Students with ASD.” Autism Spectrum News, 18 Jan. 2022, https://autismspectrumnews.org/evidence-based-reading-intervention-practices-for-students-with-asd/.
Meeting the Literacy Needs of Students with Autism: What Do We Know and Where Do We Need to Go?
Minot, David. “Evidence-Based Reading Intervention Practices for Students with ASD.” Autism Spectrum News, 18 Jan. 2022, https://autismspectrumnews.org/evidence-based-reading-intervention-practices-for-students-with-asd/.