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THE UNDERLYINC PRINCIPLES OF THE PROGRAM

Autism and Reading Comprehension revolves around what I believe are the two most important elements in teaching individuals with autism to read: whole-group instruction and reading comprehension.

It seems to me that almost every book on teaching children with autism focuses on one- on-one instruction. For a new teacher, in my opinion, it’s just not practical. You can plan whole-group instruction more easily than you can plan individual lessons. I believe one- on-one instruction isolates autistic children from their classmates and the rest of the school population. This seems to be the opposite of what we, as teachers, should be providing them. Whole-group instruction allows children to interact with their classmates and practice socially appropriate behavior, e.g., raising their hands before speaking, sharing materials, and listening to each other speak. This type of interaction should be coached and encouraged at every opportunity.

That’s not to say that I feel that one-on-one instruction is superfluous or even secondary. We need focused, intensive, one-on-one instruction in the basic skills that make whole- group instruction possible. However, whole-group instruction (as well as mainstreaming and inclusion) should never be treated as a “second-best” approach. They are equal partners, one complementing the other.

Yet with any method of instruction, the goal is reading comprehension, not just word recognition. My first couple of years of teaching, I was thrilled at the progress (I believed) I was making with my students’ reading skills. It took me a while to realize that they weren’t really reading—they were simply calling the words, without understanding the meaning. Most children with autism are visual learners. They use these visual skills, often to the exclusion of other senses, when reading. One of my students read two pages about a black cat drinking milk, playing with yarn, and climbing the curtains. His word recognition and fluency were nearly flawless. Then I asked him, “What color is the cat?” He answered, echolalia-style, “What color is the cat?” Sometimes he repeated only the last word of my question: “Cat.” This is one of the core challenges in teaching this population.

Then I began to wonder about the correlation between reading comprehension and “people comprehension.” I thought that if I could successfully teach my students reading comprehension skills, they would learn how to communicate more successfully with people. Reading comprehension, in its simplest terms, is about paying attention to what you’re reading—having an active relationship with the words on the page. If I could get the kids to listen to what they were reading, then I could get them to listen to people.

With children who have autism, dealing with people is difficult. I figured I’d start with inanimate words on the page and work my way up to people.

It worked.

Little by little, as a direct result of their success and confidence with the simple question- and-answer format of these worksheets, my students began responding appropriately to questions outside of the lessons, on the playground, in the lunchroom, and on field trips— as long as I asked the questions in the same, simple, direct manner as on the worksheets. It was clear, measurable progress.

These worksheets, and their accompanying lessons, also worked well with some of the younger ELL (English Language Learners) in my school.

It’s critical to build and sustain students’ confidence. If you start a program at too high a difficulty level, students will be intimidated and give up, failing before they’ve even begun. These worksheets start with easy questions. Then, once students are comfortable and confident within the format, you slowly increase the difficulty. You must take gradual, incremental steps to build their confidence and their skills.

Let’s get to the nitty-gritty. Good luck. I hope this program helps you and your students as it helped me and mine.