helping joe to read

His recent assessment indicated that he was of average intelligence but that the normal associations of words with other stimuli were missing. This is why he can recognise simple word and sound letters but cannot progress. Our school has tried most of the standard techniques. Can you suggest anything?

Many thanks.

Corinne Abisgold, our educational psychologist, answers:
Thank you for your question. Teaching autistic children to read is a complex issue and will vary according to the particular strengths and weaknesses of that individual. You describe Joe as having good visual skills as indicated by his love of comics/cartoons and his strength on the computer.

You will need to recognise that autistic children's ability to think imaginatively is impaired and so creative writing and reading is very challenging for them. It is important to teach to their strengths and ask factual questions. For example, "what is happening here, what will happen next?".

Give preference to books that are based in realism and day to day experience rather than fantasy. Developing reading in relation to non-fiction within the child's area of interest will increase the meaning of the text.

Instructions like those in a recipe or in construction are good ways of demonstrating how we use reading as a way to gain information and facts. The computer is a very rich resource for learning. Many programmes require reading of instructions, making choices and so on.

Wherever possible start with the child's interest. You could ask Joe to design his own cartoon strips writing a caption under each picture. This can become increasingly complex as he masters the skill and will involve both reading and writing and can be displayed or made into a book to praise his efforts.

I hope these suggestions are helpful.

Corinne Abisgold is an educational psychologist, writer, lecturer and curriculum developer.