Tag Archives: inferences

Textual clues to emotion will help with inflection

To get a student with autism to read with inflection, especially the younger ones, perhaps we need to TELL them what the emotion of the speaker is.

Inference Cuing: What is the most likely reason for that?

What can we infer is the reason for this character’s behavior? Readers with autism may need to be prompted to focus their thinking on what is most common and most likely under the circumstances of the story.

* What are the most common reasons why someone would do that?

* What is the most likely reason this character is doing that, considering what just happened to her?

Autism and hyperlexia, part 1: Anaphoric cuing?

By Sara Finegan Bobby approached my kidney-shaped conference table hesitantly, walking on tiptoe around the nearby rocking chair.  He was carrying a copy of Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.  I greeted him; he did not meet my eyes.  This was the first day of the second week of school, and we had fashioned name [...]

Fiction with a purpose (but one at a time)

By Sara Finegan You might have noticed that most (but not all) readers with autism prefer non-fiction to fiction.  With the exception of Bobby, all of my students on the spectrum have gravitated toward the fact-based section of our classroom library.  Many of them become mini-encyclopedias themselves as they develop particular areas of expertise due [...]

Inferences: “He’s wearing a jacket so it must be his birthday”

By Sara Finegan Students on the autism spectrum don’t tend to make inferences deliberately.  It’s not that they never make them; they just aren’t aware of it and it needs to be brought to their attention before we can teach them to transfer the skill from their own lives to the written word.  It’s important [...]

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Out, out, damned plot! Keeping track of “Who…did what?”

By Sara Finegan Nick loved to bring high level fiction books to school, and eagerly showed them to me each time he walked into the classroom. He proudly informed classroom visitors that he brought his own independent reading from home.  Sherlock Holmes and Indiana Jones were two of his favorite characters, though when pressed, he [...]

Mission Statement

By Sara Finegan When I began teaching in Southern California several years ago, I assumed that the fact that an entire department of my school district was devoted to autism meant that I would be able to get information on best practices and the latest research to support my students in learning.  Accordingly, I would [...]