Introduction
Reading comprehension is a crucial skill for students to succeed in school and beyond. However, students with autism often face challenges in developing and demonstrating their reading comprehension abilities, due to various factors such as communication difficulties, sensory issues, social-emotional needs, and lack of access to appropriate instruction and support. In this blog post, we will explore how teachers can use inclusive education and disability studies in education frameworks to design and implement effective and equitable literacy instruction for students with autism in general education classrooms.
Inclusive Education and Disability Studies in Education Frameworks
Inclusive education and disability studies in education are two related but distinct frameworks that inform the literacy instruction and access for students with autism in general education classrooms. Inclusive education is a philosophy and practice that aims to provide all students with equal opportunities to learn and participate in the school community, regardless of their abilities, backgrounds, or identities. Disability studies in education is a field of inquiry that challenges the dominant and oppressive views of disability in education, and advocates for the recognition and inclusion of disability as a valued aspect of human diversity.
These frameworks can help teachers create inclusive classrooms that value student diversity, presume competence, construct knowledge, foster growth mindset, and address social inequities for students with autism. Some of the principles of these frameworks are:
- Recognize and celebrate the strengths, interests, and preferences of each student, and use them as a basis for instruction and assessment.
- Provide multiple and flexible ways for students to engage with the content, express their understanding, and receive feedback, based on the principles of universal design for learning.
- Use evidence-based practices that are proven to be effective for students with autism, such as explicit instruction, visual supports, graphic organizers, peer-mediated learning, and self-regulation strategies.
- Collaborate with students, families, and other professionals to create individualized and meaningful learning goals and plans for students with autism, and monitor their progress and outcomes.
- Promote the social and emotional well-being of students with autism, and foster their sense of belonging and identity in the classroom and school community.
- Challenge the deficit-based and medicalized views of autism in schooling, and advocate for the rights and dignity of students with autism.
Inclusive Strategies for Teaching Reading Comprehension to Students with Autism
Reading comprehension is the ability to understand and interpret texts, and to use them for various purposes. Reading comprehension involves multiple cognitive and linguistic processes, such as decoding, vocabulary, background knowledge, inference, and metacognition. Reading comprehension also requires motivation, engagement, and interest in the texts and topics.
To teach reading comprehension to students with autism in inclusive classrooms, teachers can use various strategies that are aligned with the principles of universal design for learning and evidence-based practices. Some of these strategies are:
- Provide students with a variety of texts that are relevant, interesting, and appropriate for their reading levels and goals. Use texts that represent diverse perspectives, cultures, and experiences, and that challenge stereotypes and biases.
- Activate and build students’ background knowledge and vocabulary before, during, and after reading. Use pre-reading activities, such as brainstorming, predicting, and previewing, to activate students’ prior knowledge and prepare them for reading. Use during-reading activities, such as questioning, clarifying, and summarizing, to monitor students’ comprehension and support their understanding. Use post-reading activities, such as retelling, discussing, and reflecting, to consolidate students’ learning and extend their thinking.
- Teach students explicit and systematic strategies to improve their reading comprehension skills, such as identifying the main idea and details, making inferences and predictions, comparing and contrasting, and synthesizing information. Model and scaffold these strategies, and provide students with opportunities to practice and apply them in different texts and contexts.
- Use visual supports and graphic organizers to help students organize and represent their ideas and information from the texts. Visual supports, such as pictures, symbols, charts, and diagrams, can help students with autism access and comprehend the texts, and reduce their cognitive load and anxiety. Graphic organizers, such as webs, maps, and tables, can help students with autism structure and categorize their information, and enhance their memory and recall.
- Engage students in collaborative and interactive learning activities with their peers and teachers, such as cooperative groups, book clubs, and literature circles. These activities can foster students’ social skills, communication skills, and motivation for reading. They can also expose students to different viewpoints, interpretations, and responses to the texts, and encourage them to share and justify their own opinions and perspectives.
- Use technology and digital tools to enhance students’ reading comprehension and engagement. Technology and digital tools, such as e-books, audiobooks, podcasts, videos, and games, can provide students with multimodal and interactive ways to access and interact with the texts. They can also offer students with autism individualized and differentiated support, such as text-to-speech, speech-to-text, word prediction, and feedback.
Conclusion
Teaching reading comprehension to students with autism in inclusive classrooms can be a rewarding and challenging endeavor. Teachers can use inclusive education and disability studies in education frameworks to guide their literacy instruction and access for students with autism, and to create inclusive classrooms that value student diversity, presume competence, construct knowledge, foster growth mindset, and address social inequities. Teachers can also use various inclusive strategies that are based on universal design for learning and evidence-based practices to teach reading comprehension skills and strategies to students with autism, and to provide them with multiple and flexible ways to engage with the texts and express their understanding. By doing so, teachers can help students with autism develop and demonstrate their reading comprehension abilities, and enhance their academic and personal success.
Faq
What are some of the common misconceptions and myths about autism and reading comprehension?
Some of the common misconceptions and myths about autism and reading comprehension are:
- Autism is a homogeneous and static condition, and all students with autism have the same strengths and challenges in reading comprehension.
- Students with autism are either hyperlexic or dyslexic, and they either excel or struggle in reading comprehension.
- Students with autism only read for factual information, and they do not enjoy or understand fiction, poetry, or other genres of texts.
- Students with autism do not have imagination or creativity, and they cannot make inferences or predictions from the texts.
- Students with autism do not have emotions or empathy, and they cannot relate to or identify with the characters or themes in the texts.
What are some of the benefits and opportunities for teaching reading comprehension to students with autism in general education classrooms?
Some of the benefits and opportunities for teaching reading comprehension to students with autism in general education classrooms are:
- The enhancement of the academic and personal outcomes and success for students with autism, as they develop and demonstrate their reading comprehension abilities and skills, and use them for various purposes and goals.
- The promotion of the social and emotional well-being and development for students with autism, as they interact and collaborate with their peers and teachers, and feel a sense of belonging and identity in the classroom and school community.
- The enrichment of the learning experiences and perspectives for all students and teachers, as they encounter and appreciate the diversity and complexity of texts, topics, and people, and challenge their own assumptions and biases.
- The advancement of the social justice and equity agenda in education, as the rights and dignity of students with autism are respected and protected, and the inclusion and recognition of disability as a valued aspect of human diversity are fostered.
What are some of the challenges and barriers for teaching reading comprehension to students with autism in general education classrooms?
Some of the challenges and barriers for teaching reading comprehension to students with autism in general education classrooms are:
- The lack of adequate training and preparation for teachers to meet the diverse needs and preferences of students with autism, and to implement inclusive education and disability studies in education frameworks and strategies in their classrooms.
- The persistence of negative and stigmatizing attitudes and beliefs about autism and disability in schooling, and the resistance to change and innovation in the educational system and culture.
- The mismatch between the standardized curriculum and assessment and the individualized and differentiated instruction and support for students with autism.
- The insufficient collaboration and communication among teachers, students, families, and other professionals to create and sustain inclusive learning environments and communities for students with autism.
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