Reading and Writing Skills
Challenges and Strategies
ASD
Challenge
Strategies
General Challenges
Play-Symbolic
Representation
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Sensory Issues
Organisational skills
Be aware that pupils may have difficulties with proximity of others- gradually develop play from solitary play
(alone); to parallel play (playing near another); associative play (using the same materials for different purposes,
beginning to share); and co-operative play (sharing and turn taking).
Be aware of developmental levels of play: manipulative/exploratory, cause and effect, interactive.
Pretend play may be functional, symbolic, based on fantasy, social and interactive
Specifically teach that playing with someone else can be fun- begin imitating the child and gradually include new
activity into the play routine.
Engage the pupil with pretend/representative play (pretending that doll is drinking tea, pretend a cardboard box is
a ship, pretend to be different people (dress-up). Develop movement, dance, mime; art activities (shared attention,
turn-taking, communication). Structure activities and use visual support.
Develop symbolic representationVisual timetable Object/picture/symbol
Signs/symbols in the structured classroom
Matching –picture to object
Matching-picture to picture (Work systems)
Use signs/symbols to indicate activity breaks
Structure/left to right work systems
Collaborate with Occupational Therapist
 Activity breaks
 ‘Quiet area’ with play tent, cushions
 Use first/then schedules
 Visual timetables
 Build activity breaks into the schedule
 Visual support for spoken language
 Sequencing activities
 Structured work systems
 Pupils should know what work is required in a task, how much needs to be done, when is the task finished and
what happens when the task is completed
 Highlight
 Reduce content on page
 Mind-mapping
 Break tasks into a series of small steps
Special Education Support Service, c/o Cork Education Support Centre, The Rectory, Western Road, Cork - Tel: 1850 200 884 - Email: info@sess.ie
Organisational skills (cont)
Motivation/Enjoyment
Narrow range of interests
Problems with shared
attention/reciprocal
communication
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Use a multi-sensory approach
Keep instructions short – CHUNK
Demonstrate instructions with diagram or picture
Allow thinking time – revision picture / mind map
Checklists / Adhesive notes
Transparent pencil case
Check the seating position of the student away from sources of noise (projectors/ open doors/ computers etc.)
Graphic organisers
Begin with high interest text/stories
Use interactive, tactile books
Use books which have a high level of factual content
Reading buddy. books of high interest, repetitive books, songs, poems, rhymes
Read ‘Silly sentences’
Stories About Me- begin with student interests
Choice with visual support
Reading corner with a wide range of books and reading material available
Tactile/interactive books
Story time at home
Token economies
ICT
Listening centre with books and cassettes/CDs
Google favourite stories to get audio versions
Make a movie:-video the students dramatizing a favourite book and share with other classes.
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Use preferred interests to motivate
Gradually introduce new material with teacher modelling
Teacher/student take turns to work on new material
Use ICT/APPS
Play turn-taking games with visual/ written instructions
Use the student’s interests to motivate and follow the student’s lead in activities
Gradually increase the timeframe of shared activities
Reading
Vocabulary
Phonological skills
Fluency
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Stories, songs, rhymes, games, routine interactions
Build up sight vocabulary based on interests, family, classmates
Social sight words
Word walls
Picture to word matching
Identify letters in words
Identify words only
PECS/visuals : vocabulary to sentence structure
Use pictures to support meaning
Develop vocabulary through play and social interactions
Use a picture dictionary
Generalise classroom vocabulary to different locations
Multi-Sensory Approach
Focus on Rhythm, Rhyme, Words, Syllables through songs, stories, poems, rhymes, clapping, tapping
Clap out syllables; songs, raps and rhymes
Begin with initial sounds- student’s name
Extend to other words with same initial sound
Focus on sounds of other letters
Associate sounds with patterns in rhymes, with words, signs, symbols and letters
Sounds and names of the alphabet
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Teacher reads aloud every day
Use books with repetitive texts
Peer/paired reading
Talking books
Focus on favourite book
Record student reading well known text
Comprehension
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Sequence photos from student’s daily routine
First/Then
Yes/No
‘Specific teaching of ‘Wh’ question words
Pictures/visual support for why/because,
cause/effect
Predicting-begin with repetitive books
Re-reading text to develop understanding
Story retell with visual support
Focus on factual books and literal comprehension to begin
Specific teaching of the story title, setting, characters, problem, solution, main idea.
Specific teaching of context
Use diagrams, graphics, tables.
Move from teacher supporting the student to independent work
Check the readability of the text.
Reduce the amount of text on each page
Offer choice as to the number of questions answered
Highlight difficult words. These words can be written on the board/flashcards and taught explicitly.
Writing
Fine motor skills/motivation
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Theraputty, clothes pegs, threading, cutting, pasting, tracing ,colouring
Choice of writing implements
Wide variety of implements-include with art activities
Token economies/motivators
Short achievable tasks
Typing programmes
Spelling
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High frequency words
Visual approach
Teach with whole word approach
Trace letters
Build up words with component parts
Grammar
Vocabulary
Writing Genres
Writing Process
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Use different colours for nouns, verbs and adjectives to build sentences
PECS/ visuals
Teach in context through play e.g. sand and water tray, dressing up, toy house, day to day interactions
Teach with whole word approach to reading
Picture to word, word to word match
Word walls
Lotto games
Personal dictionary
Recount: News, diaries
Narrative: Stories, News, letters, cards, notes
Report: Factual report, report on news item, report on area of interest, book report
Explanation: How to make a sandwich, how I come to school, how to pack my bag (task analysis and checklists)
Persuasive: Write an advertisement or flyer for school event
Procedure: Directions, rules, recipes
 Writing for environmental signs
 Writing messages
 Use post-its to write one fact about self
 Write ‘Silly Sentences’
 Writing instructions, recipes, shopping lists
 Wall charts with pictures and captions about class activities
 Create books about individual students with pictures and captions
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Draw a picture and write a sentence
Develop a framework:
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Use mind-maps/flowcharts to focus on topic and specific vocabulary
 Include vocabulary for emotions
 Develop vocabulary into sentences
 Sequence sentences into story
 Teach use of first/next/then
 Punctuation: capital letters and full stops
 Edit, proofread, publish and display
 Scramble and unscramble story sentence strips
 ICT/APPS