CAN4GCA START Coaches Newsletter
March 2017
ASD & Literacy
Literacy is often a challenge for students on the Autism Spectrum. Assessing literacy skills for our students may be equally challenging. START has been exploring research and developing resources to better support teachers in addressing the unique needs of our learners.
While students with ASD tend to demonstrate excellent word recognition and decoding skills, there are inherent challenges and impairment in the area of reading comprehension, often due to the fundamental characteristics of the disability (Randi, Newman, Grigorenko, 2010). While new research is emerging on literacy and ASD, studies conducted over the past 20-30 years have demonstrated that engaged behavior is the best predictor of academic gains in students with ASD (Carnahan and Williamson, 2010); that quality of the book reading is more impactful than the quantity of books read; and the manner in which they are engaged in reading experiences (Scarborough and Dobrich, 1994; Fleury, et al., 2013). Thus assuring the student is engaged in the activity is vital in assuring more overall positive outcomes in literacy.
Source: Literacy and Students with ASD
A Land We Can Share
By Paula Kluth
Strategies that Work
by Stephanie Harvey & Anne Goudvis
Quality Literacy Instruction for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Principles for Promoting Inclusive Literacy Practices
•Maintain High Expectations
•Provide Models of Literate Behavior (Peer to Peer)
•Elicit Students’ Perspectives (Use Preferred Interests)
•Promote Diversity as a Positive Resource -- LRE
•Adopt “Elastic” Instructional Approaches (e.g. Pacing)
•Use Flexible Grouping Strategies
•Differentiate Instruction
Top 10 Impact on Literacy Checklist for Students with ASD
Resources to Assist in Literacy Development in Students with ASD
This is an amazing resource to help teams better determine instructional and intervention strategies for students on the Spectrum. The current resource was focused on elementary reading instruction and work is being done to support students at the secondary level, as well. Please consider sharing this with your building & district teams that support reading instruction and intervention such as Title 1, Reading Recovery and SAT/Child Study teams. Share any data and successes with us!
Literacy Intervention Resources
Autism and Reading Comprehension Materials by Future Horizons
Literacy Assessment Tools
If you are unable to get a reading score because your student is struggling to demonstrate reading with selected school assessment texts but demonstrates reading with high interest materials, you can take any selected text and determine its readability at Intervention Central. (click link above)
Test of Reading Comprehension - Maze Passage Generator
Curriculum-based measurement (CBM) Maze passages are timed measures that measure reading comprehension.They are better predictors of future reading performance than CBM oral reading fluency probes for students in grades 4 and higher (Hosp, Hosp & Howell, 2007). You can take a high interest text passage and the Maze Passage Generator will create an assessment for you at Intervention Central. (click link above).
START Conference
Click here for START Annual Conference information and registration.
Statewide START Training
Self Management Training
Date: June 21, 2017
Time: 8:30am-3:30pm
Location: Crowne Plaza Lansing West, 925 S Creyts Rd, Lansing, MI 48917
Registration is open.