A qualitative examination of the reading needs of high functioning children with autism

Abstract

Autism is a developmental disorder that belongs to a family of developmental disorders known as Pervasive Developmental Disorders. In the Today (2002) newsletter the Council for Exceptional children suggests that autism is one of the fastest growing disabilities categories. Children with autism have difficulties understanding and classifying information from their environment. They often fail to interact effectively with their environment because of the characteristics associated with the disorder. It has also been suggested that children with autism may learn differently than the non-autistic child. Teaching children with autism requires that special attention be given to the needs and characteristics of the disorder. The purpose of this paper is to conduct a qualitative literature review of these needs and characteristics and make recommendations towards an appropriate reading ideology for high functioning grade school children with autism. A teacher approaching reading instruction of an autistic child needs to be aware of unique characteristics and the complexity of special needs associated with the disorder. Autism is a developmental disorder that affects how a child looks at and interacts with the world around them. Children with autism often are found to become frustrated because they cannot make sense out of the world around them. Helping them make sense out of their environment requires specialized instructional methods that take the characteristics and learning styles associated with autism into account. The first section of this paper examines the literature concerning the characteristics, needs and learning styles of children with autism. The paper continues by examining basic reading instruction. Teaching children with autism to read not only requires an understanding of autistic disorder, but it also requires an understanding of the methodologies involved with reading instruction. This section examines two of the popular reading methodologies, the bottom-up model and the top-down model, and the beliefs behind them. The discussion concludes with a look at a reading methodology that best fits the needs of children with autism. There is no single methodology that is best, instead a combination of the styles of reading instruction appears to be the most effective way to teach children with autism to read. The eclectic model provides a structured, yet flexible reading methodology that appears to have the necessary components to effectively teach reading to high functioning grade school children with autism.