TT#6 Voice of Literacy Pocast
Podcast #80 Austim, literacy, and mother's voice.
Dr. Kelly Chandler-Olcott
-Professor, Chair of the Reading Language Arts Center at Syracuse University
-Director of RLA Doctoral Programs
-The Right to Read and Write: Literacy for Students with Autism (Paul Brookes, forthcoming) with Dr. Paula Kluth.
-Dr. Chandler-Olcott's research interests include adolescents’ technology-mediated literacy practices, classroom-based inquiry by teachers, and content literacy.
Summary
Dr. Kelly Chandler-Olcott's study comes from autobiographies by authors whom were diagnosed on the Autism spectrum, which focus on literacy development surrounding students with Autism and the significant roles of parents. Her research includes the high value placed on inclusive classrooms, and the intersection between literacy and communication strategies for persons with disabilities. Chandler-Olcott's study also suggests that as a society we have placed labels that are "not generous" to students with any form of Autism, focusing on what they can not do rather than what they can do which is more important.
As she looked back and reflected on her research study, she found that all the autobiographies had parents roles in literacy education as an important factor. As a classroom teacher that has an inclusive classroom (which will most likely include a student with some form of Autism) should engage and listen to that students parents. Parents and teacher should set specific literacy goals and recognize differentiated instruction to further students literacy education.