If you are trying to help a child with autism, you understand that there are many challenges that are going to arise. One of the challenges involves learning activities for children with autism, particularly learning how to read.
Literacy for children with autism is a foundational part of every educational program. The educational programs at Discover Camp Worth in Fort Worth, Texas, are specifically designed for children with autism. When it comes to literacy for children with autism, our team has a few important points for you to keep in mind.
Start Literacy for Children with Autism with Matching Skills
One of the first tips that everyone should follow is to try to develop a matching skills autism treatment program for children with autism. The ability to match is one of the foundational cornerstones of all forms of learning, including reading. Particularly for children with autism, it can be a challenge for them to learn how to read in other ways. Therefore, start with matching skills.
For example, you may want to start with a simple program that teaches children to match uppercase letters with lowercase letters. You may then want to start another matching program that teaches children how to pair letters together to form words that are then matched to a picture of that word. This is a great way to start teaching children with autism how to read.
Always Provide Clear Phonics Instruction
As literacy for children with autism continues to progress, it is vital for you to make sure that you provide direct phonics instruction.
- Explicitly teach all forty-four consonant and vowel phenomes.
- Make sure that you follow a clear, defined, specified curriculum.
- Remember that children with autism need to have a firm structure.
When this structure is in place, you are going to have an easier time keeping the attention of children with autism. An autism parent training program will place you in the best position to be successful when you are trying to teach children with autism how to read.
Develop Fine Motor Skills as a Part of the Education Program
Fine motor skills are inexorably tied to reading. If you want your child to learn how to read, then they are going to have to learn how to write. This is just as essential for children with autism as it is for anyone else.
Therefore, when you are trying to figure out which activities you would like to use, make sure that the activity is going to develop the fine motor skills of children with autism, as well. This could include sorting exercises, scrapbooks, coloring with crayons, or other exercises that will develop the muscles that are necessary for children to write. Seek help from an autism education program for more help.
Reward Your Child’s Progress
Finally, when it comes to literacy for children with autism, it is also important to make sure that you reward their progress. Every child deserves to be praised for their progress, and this is going to be crucial for making sure that children with autism remain focused on what they have to do. For example, you may want to:
- Provide a gold star on a chart when children with autism do well
- Provide them with access to a prize box
- Let them pick the next activity when they succeed
- Give positive verbal feedback
This is critical for making sure that they remain interested in their learning activities.
Contact Discover Camp Worth for Help with Autism Education and Learning Activities
If you are looking for help teaching children with autism how to read, then we are here to help you. We are Discover Camp Worth in Fort Worth, Texas, and we specialize in working with children with autism.
We understand that this can be a challenge; however, this can also be one of the most rewarding experiences in the world. We would be happy to help you as well. Contact us today at 855.915.2545 to learn more about how we can help you.
