While students with autism are increasingly being educated in general education classrooms, they are often excluded from rich and meaningful literacy experiences like reading and writing stories, book clubs, acting and performing, journaling, and whole-class and small-group discussions. It is not unusual for students with autism in these classrooms to follow a different curriculum than the one offered to their classmates (Kluth, 1998). Students with autism might, for instance, be asked to practice memorizing "sight words" while classmates are writing poetry or reading popular fiction.
Kliewer (1998) suggests that in order to provide literacy opportunities for all students, teachers may need to "reconceptualize the literate community"; they may need to reject assumptions about disability and adopt an orientation of viewing all students as learners. In classrooms where all students are accepted in the literate community: "all children are considered active participants in the construction of literate meanings within specific contexts. This assumption of literate value then serves as the core from which literate capacities are realized" (p. 100). In such classrooms, teachers challenge and question school practices that marginalize learners (e.g., exclusion, tracking) and create communities that encourage all students to teach each other, to showcase talents, take risks, to create, to collaborate and to see themselves as readers, writers, and thinkers.
What early literacy skills does your child need to learn?
Vocabulary – Knowing as many words as possible so that it’s easier to learn new words and gain meaning from stories.
Story understanding – Understanding not only what is happening in a book, but why it is happening – for example, how the thoughts and feelings of a character influence what they say or do. This involves the ability to read “between the lines” to figure out things that aren’t explicitly stated in the text.
Print knowledge – Understanding how print works – for example, knowing that print represents what we say, that letters make up words and that we read from left to right.
Sound awareness – Understanding that words can be broken down into syllables and smaller sounds and that letters correspond to certain sounds.
What literacy challenges might your child face?
When developing early literacy skills, children with autism may experience challenges that are related to their challenges with communication. They may need extra support in particular areas, such as:
- Understanding – Difficulties with language comprehension, organization and planning can make it challenging to understand what’s happing in a story and how events are unfolding.
- Perspective-taking – If your child has difficulty tuning in to the thoughts and feelings of others, he may find it hard to understand the motivation of characters in books or the purpose of print in the environment (e.g. instructions, signs).
- Attention – Sometimes difficulties with focus and behaviour can make it challenging to attend to a book.
- Seeing the big picture – Sometimes children with autism get caught up in small details so they have difficulty grasping the overall story.
