How Do I Teach This Kid to Read?: Teaching Literacy Skills to Young Children with Autism, from Phonics to Fluency

by Kimberly A. Henry

First Runner-Up in the 2006 Writer’s Notes Book Awards! This book utilizes the strengths of children with ASD to help them develop new skills. Tasks are visually oriented and consistent, and expectations are clear. Children learn motor, matching, sorting, reading, writing, and math skills using easy-to-make “task boxes.” Tasks include pushing items through small openings (children love the “resistance” it takes to push them through), matching simple, identical pictures or words, sorting objects by color, size, or shape, and more! Ideas are plentiful, materials colorful, and children love the repetitive nature of the “tasks,” which help them learn to work independently! Sample data sheets are included.

Genres: Autistic Spectrum Disorder

200 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 2010

Reviews

[Frrobins · Rating 3 out of 5]

Like a lot of people thrown into homeschooling right now, i'm looking for resources to help my autistic children learn to read. This book broke down the challenges autistic children face well and provided activities to cope with them. There is also a link where you can download and print worksheets and other materials and references to helpful books and methods. It addressed some things that I realize need to be targeted but wouldn't have thought to do without the book, such as my kids not understanding the different between where, when, what, why and how questions.

I'd hoped there would be more material, which is my only complaint. That said, I am still gathering material and preparing for the school year, so perhaps when I actually implement it my thoughts may change. This is definitely a good start. Recommend.

[Trish Sanders · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was extremely impressed by this book. Even having had a child who started reading on his own, I can see where the activities in this book would have helped me expand and direct his learning, especially in those areas where having autism impacted him more.

Kim makes an important comparison in the introduction when she says:

"Because the ability to read and comprehend is closely linked to an individual’s language abilities and social understanding, children with autism often struggle with the process of reading."

For my son, the biggest issue thus far has been comprehension. I recall asking him what he thought would happen next as I reached the end of a page in a storybook, hoping to prompt some sort of prediction from him, and being told, “You’re going to turn the page.” It makes an adorable story, and he has progressed past that point, but there is still a gap between how he interprets what he reads and how his teachers expect him to see it.

As Kim points out, amongst other considerations related to comprehension:
"Children with ASD characteristically are challenged by a lack of social understanding and “theory of mind”—the ability to take the perspective of another person and recognize their emotions, interests, and motivations. This area of deficit, then, affects their ability to understand and relate to characters in fictional text."

The book itself is laid out nicely, with helpful information regarding each area of literacy prefacing a number of activities directly related to that area. It also includes a CD with printable resources for many of the activities described, which is worth as much as the price of the book over again.

The subtitle reads, “Teaching Literacy Skills to Young Children with Autism, from Phonics to Fluency,” and I agree that it is probably best suited for those working with younger kiddos or early readers. But I would say that it could be very useful even with children who appear to be progressing independently with both phonics and fluency, especially with regard to the area of comprehension.

[Rosemary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of inspiring and practical hands-on ideas with minimal academic discussion.

[Sandi McHenry · Rating 5 out of 5]

Unbelievably amazing book!!! Fantastic resource for kids with Autism, and for the people who want to teach them to read! I am considering buying my own copy for myself!