Can Children With Autism Even Learn To Read??
I’m always shocked when I hear that some people actually believe their child with autism might never learn to read. But then I remember that not everyone has heard of Glenn Doman.
Who Is Glenn Doman?
Glenn Doman is the founder of Doman International and the creator of the Doman Method. He realized that if parents are given the tools to help their special needs children, they are more powerful then any therapist.
While creating a program to help brain injured children, he discovered that special needs children could be taught to read, even thought they were not able to speak.
While I always recommend all of his books to families of special needs kids, they two books I recommend for teaching your child to read are:
What To Do About Your Brain-injured Child: This is not a how to book, however I think it is important to understand the WHY behind a method.
How to Teach Your Baby to Read (The Gentle Revolution Series): This is the how to book to teach your child to read. Do not be thrown off by the title. This program works for neurotypical children up to the age of about 6 years old. But when it comes to special needs children, the window seems to be open much longer.
How We Taught Our Kids To Read
When I was introduced to Glenn Doman’s method of teaching, I did not follow it to a tee. I modified it to my family’s needs. At the time, I was a single mom who worked full time.
But you know what, it still worked!
When Zakari came along, we started teaching him to read as a newborn. And guess what? It worked even better!
We used programs like:
- BrillKids Little Reader
- Your Baby Can Learn! Deluxe Kit
- Your Child Can Read! Deluxe Kit
- Tweedlewink DVDs
- Readeez
- Hooked on Phonics (The physical set and the app)
Once Zakari turned 4 years old, and I started working directly with IAHP, and then later Doman International, we turned to a more traditional Doman Method program.
If you want to read more about our journey teaching our children with Autism to not only read, but read well, check out the links below.
- How Glenn Doman Changed How I Parent
- 90+ Ideas for the Glenn Doman Inspired Reading Program
- Early Learning Revolution
- BrillKid’s Learning System with LittleZMan (UPDATED)
- How to Teach your Baby to Read on a budget. 6 Helpful Tips.
- Doman Parent in Hiding
Videos About Teaching Children To Read
You can also check out some of my older videos about what I used to teach my son to read using the Doman Method.
How Reading Can Be a Tool for Kids with Autism to Communicate
Sometimes children with autism have trouble finding the words they want to use. By teaching them to read, they can use the written words in daily life to help them. My son is a visual learner and remembers things he has read. He remembers episode names of his favourite Netflix shows. When he wants to watch a certain show, he tells us by title.
When we are not sure what he wants, we provide a choice board. For example at lunch I can write a few options for him to pick from if I want him to pick what we are having for lunch.
But beyond asking basic question of his needs and wants, I can ask him questions about how he is feeling, what his favourite animal is, etc. I am able to use the choice board to get to know my son better as a person. Honestly that is just wonderful, as a lot of children with autism never get the chance to share that with their parents.
Teach Your Child With Autism to Read, Even If They Cannot Speak
Glenn Doman always said, the ability to demonstrate intelligence is not an indication of intelligence. Just because a child cannot speak, do not assume they cannot think. If a child can speak, but has difficulty answering a question, don’t assume they do not know. It could be their brain and their mouth are not able to work together and express the answer.
Think of children like Carly Fleischmann, a young woman with autism and is nonverbal, who used a keyboard to type out what she wanted to say what she wanted to say. Her brain was just not allowing her to communicate the way she wanted to. But she could think and understood the world around her.
Please teach your child with autism to read. They want to learn more then anything. It is a tool that can be more beneficial then you can even image.
Please check out the links and linky below to find Not Back to School Homeschool post from other homeschoolers!
CREW @ Homeschool Review Crew – 2019 Annual Not Back to School Homeschool Blog HopChareen @ Every Bed of Roses – ABC of Homeschooling
Dawn @ Schoolin’ Swag – Adding Fun to Your Homeschool Day
Erin @ For Him and My Family – Large Family Homeschooling
Lori @ At Home Where Life Happens – Learning Life Skills
Monique @ Mountain of Grace Homeschooling – Homeschooling the High School Years
Yvie @ Homeschool On the Range – 5 Days of Upper Grades Homeschooling
Abby @ Making Room 4 One More – Time Management for Homeschool Moms
Amanda @ Hopkins Homeschool – 5 Days of Homeschool Questions
Amy @ the WRITE Balance – Year-Round Schooling
Annette @ A Net in Time – Homeschooling.
Betty @ Lets Get Real – Homeschooling High School
Cassandra @ My Blessed Mess – Eclectic Homeschooling
