Did You Know...
- Books and early literacy activities are among the best tools to support children with additional needs in learning language.
- Autistic children may not learn to read by following the same developmental patterns as neurotypical children and may benefit from adaptations to traditional reading programmes.
- Autistic children often present with a language delay in the early years, so reading programmes need to focus on meaningful comprehension from the start.
- Traditional reading programmes assume the ability to use spoken language, which can exclude non-speaking students and those with speech and language delays.
Why This Webinar?
Many autistic children show an early interest in books and letters. Some enjoy activities such as matching letters, singing the alphabet song, and looking at printed words. My son, Sebastian, was no exception. From a young age, he was fascinated with letters and even spoke some letter names as his first words!
However, despite their initial interest in books and letters, between 50 to 80% of autistic children demonstrate early signs of reading difficulties once they start school.
Having supported many children, including my son, in developing early literacy skills and fostering their love of books, I want to share this information to help introduce early literacy skills successfully to autistic children.
In These Two Live Online Sessions, You Will:
- Understand the reading profile of autistic children.
- Prepare your child to become a reader.
- Discover how to promote language development alongside reading instruction.
- Gain practical tips and strategies to introduce early literacy skills successfully.
This Webinar Is For:
- Parents of autistic children who show an interest in books, letters and matching activities.
- Teachers of autistic children from 3 to 8 years of age who are struggling to learn to read in school.
- Early years educators who work with young autistic children showing a great interest in letters, numbers and matching activities.
- Early intervention professionals and speech and language therapists who want to gain a better understanding of how autistic children learn to read, and use this to support language development.
(For group bookings, please email [email protected])
3 Reasons For Introducing Early Literacy Activities
- Because we can teach language as we teach reading.
Early literacy skills can effectively promote language development, improve vocabulary, and even enhance conversational skills for many autistic children who find language comprehension and expression difficult, which can affect how easily they learn to read. - Literacy opens a world of opportunities in school and life.
Learning to read is such an important skill. It opens up so many opportunities for children, not just in school, but in everyday life too. When reading is hard, it can become a real barrier to inclusion and independence. Some children will become confident readers, and others will need extra support for a long time. Either way, every child with additional needs deserves the chance to learn to read.
Autistic children are often taught reading using the same programmes as their peers, but they may not learn in the same order or in the same way. That is why it helps when parents and teachers understand what reading can look like for autistic learners, so they can choose the right approach, use the right tools, and support each child to make meaningful progress.
- Good pre-literacy skills in the early years predict good literacy skills later in life.
Good pre-literacy skills in the early years strongly predict good literacy skills later in life. Research shows that 88% of children who struggle with reading at six years of age continue to experience difficulties with reading at 12 unless they receive early identification and adequate support. By offering pre-reading interventions, such as those you will learn in this webinar, during the early years, we can help children build a strong foundation for good literacy skills later in life, increasing their chances of academic success and overall well-being.
In this webinar, you will learn:
- How autistic children learn to read.
- How to prepare your child or student to become a reader.
- How to teach reading to teach language.
- How to get started with sight words.
- How to teach high-frequency words to autistic children.
- How to teach phonics to children with auditory processing difficulties.
- How to promote reading comprehension from the start.
Why Is This So Important To Me?
As an educational consultant and early intervention specialist, I have spent over 20 years supporting children with additional needs, their families, and teachers. During this time, I have seen the profound impact that reading can have on language development, and I have successfully introduced literacy skills to many children, including my autistic son.
In this webinar, I will share my knowledge and experience in teaching reading to autistic children. With small adaptations and additional resources, you can open up the opportunity for your child to become a confident reader.
I firmly believe that introducing reading at a young age can be a powerful tool in supporting language development for autistic children. If you have any questions about this webinar, please do not hesitate to contact me.
(For group bookings, please email [email protected])