There was a time in recent memory when teachers were actively discouraged from teaching vocabulary disconnected from academic subject areas.  Word walls were always subject specific.  Wordlists were always dictated by the text being studied. 

You never taught the words “subtle” or “reckless” or “arrogance” until the particular text the child was reading required it.  As a consequence, word groups, antonyms and synonyms, were learned haphazardly and shallowly, if at all.

The rationale for this was mysterious.  Subject and text specific vocabulary always was and always will be taught as needed.  What children needed was a deeper, richer, broader vocabulary and teachers were discouraged from providing it directly.

Children with autism often (and with hyperlexia, always) recognize  and fluently read words most of their peers stumble over.  But this does not translate into understanding those words.

Those of us attempting to help struggling readers on the spectrum to comprehend what they read in narrative, in text, are limited by the breadth of the child’s working vocabulary.  Anything we can do to expand that working vocabulary pushes us closer to a grade-appropriate level of reading comprehension.

Both expressive and receptive language difficulties are made worse when the child has a limited bank of words with which they are familiar.  To help address this very issue, I use what I call “sorting cards” which I finds can be employed to integrate not only subject-area vocabulary but also word lists (adjectives, adverbs, active verbs) used for descriptive writing.

Recently, I’ve begun using my “smart board”…yes, in these difficult times, when I may be taking a pay cut, I still have cutting-edge touch-screen technology in my classroom, thanks to a bond issue.  But where was I? 

Oh yes…I use my Promethean smart board to let kids move words around on the board, grouping them into synonyms and antonyms.  In small groups they talk about them, match them, rearrange them, and use them while having fun at the same time.

Whatever we need to do to expand vocabulary is also promoting comprehension as well as expressive and receptive language.  Not just for our kids with autism but for all the children in our classrooms.

Related posts:

1. Finding the words: Helping a child with autism talk about reading

Weak reading comprehension for children with autism is a dysfunctional cycle that can be broken if we work at it over time.

 The cycle is this: Autism involves expressive and receptive language deficits. Kids with receptive language disorders have difficulty understanding what words mean.   Kids with expressive language disorders have difficulty using words to express ideas.  

Reading comprehension requires that kids be able to understand what words mean.  Demonstration of comprehension requires that kids be able to express their understanding of text, in words.  (Though there are other ways kids can show their understanding, ultimately verbal expression is going to be required.)

Even when a reader with autism reads and understands  a piece of text, expressing that comprehension is often difficult.  Imagine that you want desperately to convey an idea, but most of the words you want to use are not immediately available to you.  They’re at the tip of your tongue, but you can’t  pull them up and use them with dexterity. 

Think  back to a time when, perhaps, you were learning another language.  Eventually you could ask for things or describe places, or the weather, or people in very general terms, using pretty generic words: 

• “The boy is tall.” 
• “The teacher is good.” 
• “The weather is hot.”

 But how easy was it to go into depth, and use more explicit descriptions? 

• “The tall boy could reach all the way to the top of the bookcase.” 
• “The teacher, who is patient and kind, helps students learn.” 
• “The humidity today is making us all feel like we are melting!”

It’s tough to use words we aren’t able to pull up with immediacy.  Even when we can retrieve the words, putting them into fluent sentences with precise meaning often eludes kids with language disorders.   

One can only imagine how daunting reading comprehension work can be, and how the frustration might produce inordinate anxiety and, ultimately, a sort of “frozen” attitude on the part of the reader with autism.

So how do we, who love and support readers with autism, help to “thaw” that frozen world of talking about reading, and lubricate the pathways that enable words to come forth? 

We give them the words.

We give them the words.

Imagine, if you will, trying to use a foreign language to describe the weather, or a place, or a person with specificity and detail.  Or to discuss an idea you have that is important and urgent.  Now imagine that in front of you are the important vocabulary words you need.  How much easier is it to produce those complex sentences, those precise ideas?  Very.

This is the way we support our readers with autism to talk or write about what they are reading.  It’s easy to do, and all you need are a few supplies (post-its or index cards and a marker)  and a bit of extra pre-reading and preparation on your part.

Text selection and prep work

You want to begin with stories that are at your reader’s level, or slightly easier.  Choose story books or short stories or passages.  We do not begin with entire chapter books – not yet.  The purpose here is to pull out important words for your student to use when talking about the story.

For the purpose of this blog entry, I will use one of my favorite stories, Bread and Jam for Frances.     http://www.amazon.com/Bread-Jam-Frances-Russell-Hoban/dp/0064430960

Go through the story and select key words that you might use to describe various plot features (characters, setting, problem, solution, relationships).  Right now, you are pulling words directly from the book.  Choose words that are powerful vocabulary words:  We are not interested in having our reader talk about “stuff” and “things” and “good” or “sad.” Each word gets written on a card or post-it.

What words would you use?

Now, think about how you would describe the story.  What verbs would you use?  What adjectives and adverbs?  Write them on index cards or post-its.

At the conclusion of these two preparatory activities, you should have between 15 and 20 cards, each with a single word.    You are ready to support your reader with autism now.

This is the time to have your child read the story.  I like to tell them a little bit about the book first, with a one-sentence introduction that uses a few of the words that I wrote on the index cards, words, that aren’t directly in the story but came from the second preparatory activity.  For example:  “this is a funny story about a badger named Frances, whose parents get very creative about handling her wish to only eat one kind of food every single day.”

Have the child read through the story a couple of times.   Allow him or her time to enjoy it. 

Giving the words and modeling their use

When the time comes to explore the comprehension issue, spread the index cards or post-its out on the table.  Sometimes it’s soothing to have the child organize them as he or she wishes:  making orderly rows, or designs with the words is a good way to enter into this activity. 

Take turns with the child reading each of the words aloud.  Put each of the words into a sentence for the child to hear.  These sentences are not to be about the story, but rather are examples of how the word might be used in a sentence or to express an idea. For example: 

• Squishy:  “I hate it when mud gets squishy between my toes.  Ick! ”
• Stubborn:  I wanted my son to take a nap, but he was stubborn and kept insisting that he wanted to play in the back yard.”
• Patient:  “My teacher was very patient with me when I was trying to learn my multiplication facts. “

Now you are ready to begin your conversation about the story.  You will start by asking an open-ended question, perhaps about a character or the setting, and YOU will answer it, to model for the child.    In formulating your answer, do a “think-aloud” about choosing the right words and putting them together.  This helps the child see how we retrieve and use words to answer questions and that it’s not an automatic thing for everyone. Example: 

“Ok, the question is, what kind of kid is Frances?  Well, what are some good words to use?  I see the word stubborn.  That’s a good one.  And also routine.  I like that word.  And oh, here is the word refuse!  That’s a great one.   

Ok.  So let’s see how I can use these words.  Frances is……that’s a good start.  Frances is a girl who……likes a routine.  Yes.  Frances is a girl who likes a routine.  She……refuses to eat anything but bread and jam.  Yeah.  Frances is a girl who likes a routine and refuses to eat anything but bread and jam. 

How can I put in the word stubborn?  Ok.  She is so stubborn about it that she trades an egg salad sandwich for bread and jam.  Yeah!  Frances is a girl who likes a routine.  She refuses to eat anything but bread and jam.  She is so stubborn about it that she trades her egg salad sandwich for bread and jam.”

TIP:  Questions that result in a “yes” or “no” answer defeat the purpose of helping a child talk about reading.  Try to focus on the kinds of questions that force a reader to give a longer answer.  Help the child expand the answer into a more complex sentence or group of sentences by asking things like “Oh!  Where did you learn that?” or “What makes you think that?” or “Can you tell me more about this?” 

Using the words

Now you are ready to have your reader with autism give it a try.  Start with a simple open-ended question.  Be patient but encouraging as the child works through the answer, pointing if necessary to the word cards and reminding him or her that there are choices available.  Try to get the child to use two to four of the word cards in formulating the answer. 

Model the choice of vocabulary

This is the way to  begin a conversation in which the words are more readily available to the child.  I sometimes alternate turns, so that the student gets a chance to see and hear me model how I select and use words, and then an  immediate opportunity to practice the skill.  This should be done if the child is really struggling, until such time as she or he is ready to start assuming greater responsibility for independent work and thought.

Note:  Word choice and fluency go hand in hand.  Every time the child makes a statement, listen carefully.  If the child makes a grammatical error or stumbles, or if you see an opportunity to combine two simple sentences into a complex one, repeat the sentence correctly and have the child repeat it.  For example: 

Child:  “Frances enjoy to play with her friends.  She play baseball. ” Teacher:  “Ah.  Frances enjoys playing baseball with her friends.  Can you say that again?”

Expanding and deepening the use of words

What we are doing here, by providing the child with words, is encouraging and supporting talk.  We want our reader with autism to talk, and talk as much as possible about the story.  For this reason, we should not be content with simple, one-sentence statements. 

The way to support greater and greater amounts of talk is to keep bringing back the previous answers, and incorporating them into our ongoing conversation.  Think of it as doing an ongoing restatement of the story.  There’s a lot of repetition, but the more a child with expressive language deficits repeats things, the more fluent, comfortable, and firmly embedded the language will be.

By the third answer in our discussion of Bread and Jam for Frances, the child is saying this:  

“ Frances is a girl who likes a routine.  She refuses to eat anything but bread and jam.  She is so stubborn about it that she trades her egg salad sandwich for bread and jam.  I like her parents.  They are very patient with Frances when she won’t eat chicken salad or squishy eggs.  Her mother decides to give Frances bread and jam for every meal.   So when everyone else has a regular dinner, she puts just bread and jam on Frances’ plate. ”

Don’t worry if the child can’t remember all of that.  You tell the child, and have him or her repeat it back.  Point to word cards as you go, if this helps.

Incentives and celebrations

Everyone has some way of motivating and encouraging a child with tangible rewards for doing hard work.  Some of my students use sticker cards and get a sticker for every time they use a word from the cards.  Others like raffle tickets – I give a raffle ticket for every word used in the final summary, at the end of the conversation, and once a week we have a drawing for prizes from the dollar store.

 And everyone, everyone loves praise.  Be enthusiastic about the conversation.  Kvell at your child’s use of language!   Be specific:  “I love the way you described how Frances got bored with bread and jam!”  “When you talked about the family eating dinner, I felt like I was there!  You are really able to describe what happened, buddy!”
Repeat, rinse, repeat

Repetition is key.  The word cards and conversation are not a one-time deal.  Try to work with the child at least three times on the same story, with the same cards, over a period of 3-7 days.  The activity will go much more quickly as time goes by, and the child will be more fluent and more expressive and more complete in the summary of the story. 

At the conclusion of the final session, I always have my students write about the story.  They use exactly the same sentences they’ve been rehearsing aloud.   They can use the vocabulary cards to spell  some of the harder words, and might be invited, under the summary, to draw a picture of their favorite scene.   Displaying student work and having the child read the summary aloud to a peer or administrator are terrific way to showcase the excellent and deep work that has been accomplished.

Related posts:

1. FAQs about anaphoric cuing and reading comprehension
2. Irresistible reading: Stories starring our kids as characters
3. Hearing the story in your head: The role of expressive reading

The autism spectrum is a vast and invisible entity and as I explore and write about the world of the reader with autism, you are probably wondering “well, just a damned minute here. Is she writing about someone like my kid, or does she teach the high-level kids who just have some social skills deficits?”

The answer is:   I don’t know.

We don’t have a piece of tape marking off the gradations of the autism spectrum, much less where each individual child would stand if we lined them all up along the edge.   I have a feeling that with the exception of the extremes on either end, placement on the spectrum is rather subjective.

Bobby was high functioning…

I stopped worrying about what level each of my readers with autism was on when I had an interesting conversation with Bobby’s mother Patty right about the time he finished his third year in my class and got ready to go off to middle school.  Patty and I had become friends during Bobby’s time in my class and you could not find a better partner to work with.   During this particular conversation I mentioned that Bobby was high-functioning and she said “well…”

Turns out, Bobby was anything but high-functioning when he came to me in the beginning of the fourth grade.   I didn’t know that, because he was the first kid with autism I’d ever had in my class, if you don’t count several with Asperger Syndrome I’d had in previous years. He was somewhere, according to Patty, in the mid-functioning area, leaning toward lower, though his compliance with rules and procedures was so high that we never had any major behavior issues.

In my naivete, I thought that since he wasn’t banging his head against the walls, he must be at a high level.

The point is that by the time Bobby left my class, he was pretty high-functioning.   True, he continued to have difficulty expressing himself and would freeze up when asked for answers to some problems, but here’s the big deal: he’s been out of my class for awhile now, and he’s been getting A’s and B’s in all general ed classes ever since.

I would like to attribute Bobby’s success to my brilliant and innovative teaching.   I would also like to be able to run a marathon next month, but the truth is, I can only do three miles at a time and even then, it’s ghastly towards the end.

Bobby, it appears, progressed along the spectrum due to several factors.  One of them was what I taught him, which was the subject of my masters thesis and will be a blog entry as soon as I get back from vacation, because I do not carry my thesis around with me when I’m out of town and I want to cut and paste copious quantities of it into my blog.

Kids “on the spectrum” are not static

I think, though, that Bobby’s amazing jump into inclusion-land was mostly due to his own personal growth and development as a person. Kids with autism are just like other kids, who aren’t able to do some things in the second grade that they can in the fourth, and I don’t know why some of us get the impression that they are static creatures. It might have taken Bobby three years instead of two to be able to write a personal narrative, but that was okay with me.

But Bobby’s growth was also due to very high standards held by me and his mom regarding his thinking and work. We never assumed he couldn’t do things, and if he seemed overwhelmed, we would just divide tasks and lessons into smaller chunks for him.

Bobby was held to the same standard as other kids

Patty and I realized early on that it was all a matter of how we customized the learning experience for him while at the same time holding him to the same standards as others in my class.   It was an interesting balancing act and we had to keep in touch regularly.

On the one hand, we had no expectations about Bobby’s capacity to learn and use new knowledge and skills, because we couldn’t read his mind or get much insight into how he processes information. I wasn’t able to compare him to anyone because he was unique. On the other hand, we expected him to do the same homework, the same math, and the same social studies work as everyone else.   Sometimes this meant that I gave him sentence-starters to get him going on a writing assignment, or he was allowed to draw a picture to show his understanding of a math problem rather than writing a complete sentence, but he did the same math as everyone else.

Now, I had those high expectations of his work because I was assuming that Bobby was a high-functioning learner with autism.   If someone had told me at the beginning that he wasn’t, I’d probably have lowered my sights.  And that would have been to his detriment.

Pay no attention to “level”

What I learned from Bobby was not to pay any attention whatsoever to what “level” any of my students with autism are on with regard to the spectrum when it comes to ability to learn and do work.   Each one is his or her own world of learning, and that’s the universe I want to live in.

So can the strategies I’ve developed work with lower-functioning readers with autism?  Sure.  Every strategy is created to be customized according to the individual students’ needs and strengths.

Tips:  If your child is non verbal or has expressive language deficits

So, if you’re using the “Who….did what?” strategy with a student who is pretty non-verbal, give the child a series of boxes on paper and ask him/her to draw a picture of each thing that a character does in a given passage. And if you have a child with expressive learning deficits that are more profound than the kids I’ve described, give him/her multiple choice options for inferences, predictions, or other activities.

And finally, don’t assume that because a reader with autism cannot perform some tasks right now, you shouldn’t keep teaching them or modeling them.  You should.  The more they observe a skill or piece of information in a variety of contexts, the more likely it is that the kids will internalize them and begin to use them.

Related posts:

1. Asperger Syndrome rolled into new Autism Spectrum Disorder
2. Don’t stop advocating for the child with autism!
3. Say what? Asking questions as one reads