There is no dearth of the kind of challenges autistic children face in their journey of learning. While autism may not always affect the learning capabilities of a child, it does impact the mode in which the child learns. Technique is particularly significant when it’s time for teaching an autistic child how to read and spell.
1. Studying one concept at a time
Teaching letters to your children? Start with the phonograms and teach your little one the ones that are the simplest such as, S, M, P, and A. When you take it one concept at a time, it respects the child’s limitations.
2. Lessons must always be taught in an incremental manner
It is important to break each skill down into basic steps and then teach the lessons slowly, from one skill or concept to the next. Every step should be built on steps a child has already learned, making sure that there are no gaps.
3. Instruct the child directly and precisely
In direct instruction lessons are planned very carefully. Children are told exactly what they have to know. Each spelling and reading lesson should comprise of three simple steps:
4. Multisensory methods
Every autistic child is different. Hence, it is extremely important to teach with sound, sight, and touch. Learners who are visual prefer seeing things that they are learning. Auditory learners like to hear oral instructions and discussions. Hands-on learners, on the other hand, learn by touching and manipulating objects.
5. Examples
Abstract ideas are difficult to process when an autistic child has a tough time processing. One of the best ways of providing concrete examples of spelling and reading is by utilizing color-coded letter tiles.
Also, a lot of autistic children find it hard to process verbal input excessively. Demonstrating segmenting and blending using letter tiles allows children to understand the whole process without being swamped with lengthy verbal explanations.
6. Always reward your child
When teaching spelling and reading to autistic children, it is extremely helpful if you can come up a method for a little one to mark their progress, including a chart wherein they can paste stars every time they successfully learn a lesson.
Also, do not forget to make use of encouraging words every single time. Simple encouragement such as “Good job!” or “Excellent!” can go a long way in building self-esteem and confidence in a child, motivating them to do well and keep learning.
Once you make use of the right techniques in the homeschool curriculum and figure out ways that best suit your child, you will face no problem teaching your little one how to read and spell.