# data[].attributes.body
Alphabetics is learning how to read english. This is the awareness of letters of the alphabet that relate to sounds.

# data[].attributes.body
Phonemic awareness is the ability to hear identify and manipulate sounds that can make up spoken words.

# data[].attributes.body
method for teaching people how to read and write an alphabetic language. It is done by demonstrating the relationship between the sounds of the spoken language, and the letters or groups of letters or syllables of the written language.

# data[].attributes.headline
Helpful video about learning Alphabetics!

# data[].attributes.subject
Helpful video about learning Alphabetics!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
learning alphabets for kids - Phonetics for kids

# data[].attributes.body
Students with ASD develop alphabetic skills slower because they overgeneralize the rules.

Individuals with ASD struggle to learn expectations to the rules of alphabetics.

With these issues they begin to pronounce words oddly.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Introduction

Reading ability is such an important skill in our modern society. Children, however, differ in their ability to read and understand written material and parents and teachers wonder why. The purpose of this article is to help parents and teachers recognize basic global patterns of reading ability/challenge within a specific group of children (i.e., those with an autism spectrum disorder). Awareness of the patterns can pave the way for more focused assessment of specific skills and provide a bridge to targeted support and/or instruction.

The Simple View of Reading

The topic of reading is so complex that many experts in the field of reading reduce conceptualization to a few key concepts such as:

The essence of reading is the acquisition of MEANING from print (i.e., reading comprehension).

Meaning or reading comprehension involves decoding or word recognition of words AND language comprehension.

This information is often displayed as a diagram called the Simple View of Reading which was first introduced by Gough & Tunmer and Hoover & Gough in 1986 and 1990 (Catts and Kamhi, 2005).

Establishing a Range of Differences

Within each of the broad categories of word recognition and language comprehension lays a continuum. If a little definition is added to the concept of a continuum, one might develop a visual graphic that looks something like this:

A Excellent B Average C Some Skills D Few or Very Restricted E No skills

Guiding questions might include qualitatively evaluating how well a student with ASD compares to age mates of the same cognitive abilities. Does he or she have the level of sophistication of skills of comparable classmates? Sometimes students with ASD have the basic skills but there are qualitative differences that might be important to note for programming purposes. If these difference are not noted and addressed through support and/instruction, individuals students may be headed toward frustrating experiences in school as they progress through the various grade levels which require increasing levels of sophistication with print. With this framework in mind, let's examine the two components that contribute to reading comprehension ability.

Within the Simple View of Reading- The Role of Word Recognition

Word recognition involves the ability to quickly recognize a word. If one had to stop to decipher each word that one read, it would be hard to read and obtain meaning from sentences, paragraphs, pages, and chapters. One uses a certain amount of mental energy to decode unfamiliar words and the expenditure can vary depending on how difficult the reading task is for that person. Because quick recognition is the mark of a good reader, people typically develop a certain internal dictionary of sight words and apply strategies to identify the words that are not in their dictionary. Strategies might include the use of phonics, picture cues, background knowledge, or syntax to decipher or guess at unfamiliar words. For example, if the topic was trains, one might guess the word "freight" by mentally manipulating the word "eight" or from knowledge about trains and the syntactical cues (i.e., "The train had an engine and many freight cars").

Underlying word recognition is a pre-reading skill called phonological awareness. This skill focuses on recognition of the sound system of our language and the ability to manipulate these sounds. It is not phonics or text based. Skills include the ability to rhyme, to tell what is the first sound in an orally heard word such as "bear;" the ability to name other words that start with the b sound from "bear," the ability to synthesize a "k+ae +t" into "cat," and so forth. Awareness of sounds in words is also helpful when one learns spelling. Even if spelled incorrectly, a child with good phonological awareness may be able to demonstrate the number of sounds he or she hears in a word. If one does not have this skill, then one is limited to memorizing the visual pattern of each word. Many children with ASD may have difficulty with this underlying skill.

Some children with ASD become good at memorizing sight words but don't attach meaning to the words. When these children read, they sound like they have a large sight vocabulary. People can over estimate the child's ability to read with meaning when based only on their oral reading ability. Most people would automatically assume that if a word is in one's sight reading dictionary, that it is used with meaning. It would be easy to have inappropriate curricular performance expectations if one innocently but falsely made this assumption. These children with such good decoding skills are sometimes described as "word callers."

Children who are at the extreme end of the continuum in terms of decoding words without meaning are called hyperlexic. These children are self taught in terms of these skills during the 2-5 year-old period of their lives. Some of these children move on to develop some level of comprehension skills while others may remain at a level of fairly meaningless decoding. It is possible that those who move on, may not have been as extreme, may have had better cognitive abilities, and/or may have had parent assistance to move toward meaning.

So, children with ASD can vary along a continuum in terms of word recognition. Before designing a program for a child, it will be important to know via assessment if his or her decoding ability is a strength or a challenge. If the latter, then the phonological awareness element should be considered. For some children, this might be a very difficult skill to completely master. Even mastering some basic elements might be helpful, however.

As gathered from the previous paragraphs, it is difficult to talk about decoding without talking about meaning as well. For example, when one is reading with meaning, one is attentive to phrasing. With the sentence, "The boy ran down the street?" "the boy" groups together as does "ran down the street." One would not naturally pause between "the" and "boy" or "the" and "street." One's brain would register ahead of getting to the word "street" that it is a question and the voice should rise on the word "street" to suggest that this is an inquiry. Inflection and appropriate phrasing may not happen if one is reading one word at a time as an independent rather than an interdependent unit. This latter aspect of decoding is also called "fluency" but has a meaning element to it. Some children with ASD will not exhibit this recognition of meaning as they become smoother readers. Each word may be pronounced with the same inflection or emphasis pattern. This might be a clue to parents and teachers to check about meaning.

Within the Simple View of Reading-The Role of
Language Comprehension

Much of the message of oral and text language is expressed at the sentence level and through the inter-connectiveness of multi-sentences. Teachers and parents must be aware that some children only attend to the meaning of key words rather than the meaning of the sentence as a whole. Look at the difference in meaning from the sentence "The dog loved the cat's bed." When one looks at key salient words vs. the whole sentence, one might conclude that the dog and cat slept in some type of bed together when the dog really liked to safely use the cat's bed when the cat was not around.

The strategy of attending to key words is not isolated to text comprehension. Oral language comprehension forms the foundation for reading comprehension. How well a child can express his message is not as important for reading comprehension as how well he understands the messages of others. With children with ASD, many children can be quite verbal but have real difficulty understanding and processing the language of others. Understanding the language of others simultaneously involves:

Comprehending vocabulary including multi-meaning words and abstract concepts embedded within varying complexity levels of syntax.

Understanding the requirements of question forms (e.g., "where" questions request location information and "why" questions request causal relationship responses).

Understanding the significance of non-verbal cues; meaning of these important components of communication must be conveyed by words when one is reading a text format.

Deciphering that the meaning intended is not as stated by the words (e.g., the language may be figurative because, for example, the person is really not the color blue today but is feeling bad).

Noticing the vocal tone of the message that suggests that one is teasing or being sarcastic. For example, he sarcastically said, "Have a nice day," as he walked away.

Inferencing between missing information to extract meaning from the context.

Determining the main idea of a message from the various chunks of information.

Synthesizing the message to relay it to others.

Understanding if the purpose of the entire message was to inform, criticize, tease, direct, deceive, etc.

Understanding the bias factor underlying even basic sharing of factual information.

Understanding roles, differing customs, experiences, personalities, etc. when that information must be conveyed in text without the support of the visual real-life context.

Unlike decoding, most, if not all, individuals with ASD will have some degree of challenge with various beyond-the-basics aspects of oral language comprehension. In turn, they will have difficulty with text comprehension. It is not just a processing or rate of information flow problem, but rather, an underlying problem that can relate to internal cognitive wiring, cognitive abilities, and social/ language knowledge.

The Simple View of Reading-Reading Comprehension

So, the outcome of using word recognition and language comprehension skills is reading comprehension. This applies whether one is reading fiction, nonfiction, poetry, advertising, text messages, or e-mails. The major advantage of text vs. oral language presentation for a person with ASD is that with text, the message is permanent, whereas a spoken message is fleeting and disappears. Text gives one time to think and to apply other strategies. One might go back to re-read, look up a meaning, go ask someone else for an interpretation, and so forth.

If one only addresses the end product of reading comprehension and does not pay attention to the other two components that underpin it, then one will be missing an important part of helping the child with ASD to improve. For example, many books on improving reading comprehension frequently do not identify the language component. The latter needs to be addressed in addition to comprehension monitoring and the learning of strategies that assist the reader to gain meaning from text. Certainly teachers and parents will want to help students or their children to be the best that they can be in terms of reading comprehension. It helps to have a good picture of what is involved and use that model to check out the underlying components.

Summary

So students with ASD can have strengths or challenges in either word recognition and language comprehension that will impact reading comprehension. Because of the understanding difficulties with the more sophisticated aspects of oral communication, similar challenges might be expected in reading comprehension when various elements must be conveyed within a written word format. Some students may have challenges at even a more basic level, however, in attending to the meaning of syntactical sentences.

Parents and teachers will want to assess, monitor, and track the word recognition or decoding skills and language comprehension skills of their students or children as they evaluate reading comprehension. Although problems with reading comprehension are to be expected amongst children with ASD, some of the problems may lessen over time with appropriate instruction and support.

Resources

Catts, H., & Kamhi, A. (2005). Language and Reading Disabilities (2nd ed.). Boston: Pearson Education, Inc.

Grigorenko, E., Klin, A., & Volkmar, F. (2003). Annotation: Hyperlexia: Disability or superability? Journal of Child Psychology and Psychiatry. 44(8), 1079-091.

Mirenda, P. (2003). "He's not really a reader...": Perspectives on supporting literacy development in individuals with autism. Topics in Language Disorders. 23(4), 271-282.

O'Connor, I. M., & Klein, P. D. (2004). Exploration of strategies for facilitating the reading comprehension of high functioning students with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities. 34(2), 115-127.

Also see the IRCA Article in the communication section, Selected Bibliography: Literacy, for numerous references on various aspects of literacy (www.iidc.indiana.edu/irca).

Vicker, B. (2008). Recognizing different types of readers with asd. The Reporter, 14(1), 6-9.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Recognizing Different Types of Readers with ASD

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Reading ability is such an important skill in our modern society. Children, however, differ in their ability to read and understand written material and parents and teachers wonder why. The purpose of this article is to help parents and teachers recognize basic global patterns of reading ability/challenge within a specific group of children (i.e., those with an autism spectrum disorder).

# data[].attributes.body
Word Sounds: Word Sounds / Phonemes helps develop the skills needed to understand the relationship between written and spoken language through counting, blending and segmenting phonemes . This App helps students break up the words, and helps them practice blending of the words. This app has interactive sounds, and pictures to keep kinds interested!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
‎Word Sounds / Phonemes by Teach Speech Apps helps develop the skills needed to ﻿understand the relationship between written and spoken language through counting, blending and segmenting phonemes - the smallest units of sounds that make up a word. This app targets phonemic awareness which is the abi...

# data[].attributes.body
Between the Lions Early Reading: Characters pop off the pages of the books and come to life; vowels sing and puppets dance. the characters explore different parts of books, phonemic awareness, and many different skills. This website is an amazing way to get students with ASD interesting in reading with these lively characters will capture their attention, and making learning alphabetics enjoyable.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Between the Lions Early Reading | PBS LearningMedia

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Here are segments selected from Between the Lions, the series that helps kids "Get Wild About Reading!" This special collection provides a set of early Reading/Language Arts resources, organized by early elementary and preschool literacy skills.

# data[].attributes.body
Zoolingo: This app allows children with and without disabilities learn how to recognize, voice, and write letters of the alphabet. This app provides phonic songs, along with bright exciting graphics. This app is great for individuals with autism, as it starts from the basics, and builds from there. This has bright visuals to keep the individuals attention, and make it fun.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Zoolingo - Preschool & Kindergarten Games looks every bit like it has been designed for preschool children. Colourful graphics ensure the environments, characters, and learning details welcome children and stimulate their curiosity. Each graphical element is highly polished and matches the rest of the app perfectly.

The sound is similarly excellent. Music plays throughout the activities but can be toggled off if desired. Sound effects are clear and characterful. Importantly for an app aimed at young children who are not yet able to read, the spoken parts of the app are clear and well enunciated. Instructions and questions are spoken in a warm and friendly voice that forms part of a pleasant experience and lets children know how to complete the task at hand.

The educational activities are mostly practice ones: children are set a question which they must answer or complete. For example, children who have already been exposed to the order of the alphabet can practise their knowledge but the app does not explicitly teach it. Having said that, the app does not punish incorrect answers so children need not feel stressed at making wrong choices. They can learn through their mistakes as well as having their existing knowledge confirmed.

This works well and encourages young children to explore the app and try new things, learning as they go. There are plenty of topics with which to engage.

The different activity groups which can be freely selected cover shapes, colours, numbers, letters and many more, especially language-based ones such as occupations. Some additional activities are more creative, such as colouring, and others are more about pure thinking skills, such as jigsaws. Finally, there are a few that are just for fun, such as nursery rhymes, although even these help young children take their first steps in understanding music and taking pleasure from it.

There are often a few different types of activities within each group. For example, alphabet lets children practise forming letters, identifying letters, and placing them into the correct place in the alphabet. The many activity groups, alongside the variety within them, ensure that this app will keep children interested. There are also some linked printable resources available to subscribers that can extend the enjoyment of the app into more traditional interactions.

Children from multilingual families are afforded the chance to play this app in one of 16 different languages. This feature might also make this app useful for children learning an additional language.

You can download this app for free and try it out in a limited form indefinitely, or you can unlock the free trial which will be converted into a paid subscription after the trial period is over. Together, these options give you a good chance to see how the app suits your child.

With such a wide variety of learning activities, new ones being added frequently, and its top-notch presentation, you may well find that you do wish to continue your subscription to Zoolingo - Preschool & Kindergarten Games. You should certainly download it and have a look to see what it offers.

Alternatives:

BlockStarPlanet

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Zoolingo - Preschool & Kindergarten Games Review | Educational App Store

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Zoolingo - Preschool & Kindergarten Games looks every bit like it has been designed for preschool children. Colourful graphics ensure the environments, characters, and learning details welcome children and stimulate their curiosity. Each graphical element is highly polished and matches the rest of the app perfectly. The sound is similarly excellent.

# data[].attributes.body
Vocabulary is the body of words in a particular language. Having a good vocabulary means that a child knowns the words needed to communicate effectively with others around them. Readers must have a good amount of words in their vocabulary bank for them to understand the text. Having a large oral vocabulary supports readers make sense of the text they are taking in.

# data[].attributes.headline
Helpful Article about Vocabulary, and Strategies to support vocabulary instruction

# data[].attributes.subject
Helpful Article about Vocabulary, and Strategies to support vocabulary instruction

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
More resources: Vocabulary: self-paced course Target the Problem: Vocabulary Vocabulary Apps Topics A-Z: Vocabulary Vocabulary refers to the words we must understand to communicate effectively. Educators often consider four types of vocabulary: listening, speaking, reading, and writing. Listening vocabulary refers to the words we need to know to understand what we hear.

# data[].attributes.body
Some individuals with Autism have hyperlexia. This is characterized by "intense focus or preoccupation with numbers and letters, the early and spontaneous ability to read words, and a large gap between word level decoding, and comprehension"

Readers with hyperlexia are often fluent readers, and great word recognition, but struggle to understand what they are. reading is very poor.

Students with ASD often struggle to add new words to their vocabulary through reading.

# data[].attributes.body
Idioms: This app allows for individuals to learn popular English Idioms and phrases, collocations, and slang of any difficulty while playing games and quizzes! Idioms are a cornerstone of language proficiency. Not only is social communication difficult for individuals with Autism, learning abstract vocabulary. This app allows for fun games, and riddles to support their learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
*Learn popular English Idioms and phrases, collocations, and slang of any difficulty while playing games and quizzes! Idioms are a cornerstone of language proficiency. *

This is what defines a sufficient speaker and gives you a real advantage in informal communication. So let's get started!

Study idioms, memorize while playing, track your progress, and become a top-notch in idioms' juggling!

*Why study Idioms and Phrases?*

Knowing idioms and phrases allows you to:

- sound and think like a native speaker

- watch movies, shows, and series

- read the newspapers and books in English without missing a phrase

- express yourself more casually in informal talks

- defend your points more vividly within business speeches

So let's get the key to high-level English!

*What is there in the Idioms app?*

The Idioms App is constructed for better understanding and memorizing while being more a game than a theoretical practice.

The app works by the method of spaced repetition:

Learn - Understand - Play - Memorize

The only thing you need to do is to join the flow and find more and more new phrases collected in your mind!

*What is inside of the app?*

- more than 1000 idioms, phrases, collocations, and popular slang expressions

- 50+ topics for idioms' usage

- various playing mechanics for memorizing

- Smart Progress bar for each idiom

- Daily Streaks and Achievements to stay tuned

Also, you can collect your Favorite Idioms and Phrases fulfilling this section with the most useful and tricky examples.

Practice and get new content every day for free.

*What subscription plans are there?*

English Idioms: Learn and Play app contains the following subscription options:

- Weekly with 3-day free trial at $9.99;

- Annual subscription at $99.99;

Please pay attention to the following points:

- Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. The account will be charged at the full price of the chosen subscription period. The account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period

- Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase.

- Any unused portion of a free trial period, if offered, will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication.

- Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase.

Privacy Policy: https://basenjiapps.com/docs/privacy_policy

Terms of Service: https://basenjiapps.com/docs/terms_of_use

Thanks for using Idioms!

This update contains:
- multiple bug fixes
- performance improvements

Review

Please include idioms from Uk English as well

That's an awesome idea, thank you! We'll add more content in the future, please stay tuned. 😎

Unwanted purchase

Price information is not in sight. You have to look for them. I wanted to see how the application works, it did not impress me, I did not use it but I did not delete it, and after three days I was charged for the next week. Thieves!
I have been using Apple services for a long time and I was used to seeing the right information. Shame on Apple for allowing this!

Misleading

The app is free to download and is being advertised on various social media channels. That's cool.

What's not cool is being slapped in the face with a paywall forcing me to pay to use the app.

Do not download!

The developer, Basenji Apps, indicated that the app's privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer's privacy policy.

Data Used to Track You

The following data may be used to track you across apps and websites owned by other companies:

Data Linked to You

The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:

Data Not Linked to You

The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:

Privacy practices may vary based on, for example, the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

Provider

Basenji Apps Limited

Compatibility

iPhone

Requires iOS 11.2 or later.

iPad

Requires iPadOS 11.2 or later.

iPod touch

Requires iOS 11.2 or later.

Languages

English, Arabic, French, German, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Thai, Turkish, Vietnamese

In-App Purchases

1. Premium access 52,99 lei

2. Weekly Subscription 52,99 lei

3. Premium access 39,99 lei
more

Family Sharing

Up to six family members will be able to use this app with Family Sharing enabled.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
‎*Learn popular English Idioms and phrases, collocations, and slang of any difficulty while playing games and quizzes! Idioms are a cornerstone of language proficiency. * This is what defines a sufficient speaker and gives you a real advantage in informal communication. So let's get started! Study...

# data[].attributes.body
Speech Blubs: Speech Blubs is a Speech Therapy app that uses voice controlled and video technology to develop speech articulation. The app has thousands of activities that aid over practice of speech sounds in a fun and engaging way. For individuals with autism video modeling, is controlled voices are easy for them to follow, and this app will promote learning with those strategies.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Speech Blubs is a voice-controlled speech therapy app designed to help your child learn new sounds and words, and practice speaking in a stimulating, educational environment.

Our 1500+ activities have been used over 1,000,000 times to trigger sound and word production in toddlers, late talkers (speech delay), children with Apraxia of Speech, Autism, Down Syndrome, ADHD, and Sensory Processing Disorder.

WHY LEARN WITH SPEECH BLUBS?

Uses scientifically proven video modeling for effective speech development

Over 1500+ exercises, activities, funny hats, videos, mini-games, and more!

Brand new, exciting content released every week!

25 fun sections - Early Sounds, When I Grow Up, Get into Shapes, Living Colors, Yummy Time, This Is My Body, Mouth Gym, Animal Kingdom, Ride Your Wheels, Sing Along, Guess the Word, Guess the Sound, NUMB3R5 and many more!

Voice-activated functionality provides a fun, interactive learning experience

Experience special effects like funny hats and masks in real time using facial detection

Collect stickers and fill your sticker book as your child progresses

Unlock funny & educational content designed to trigger conversation

SCIENTIFICALLY-PROVEN LEARNING TECHNIQUES

Speech Blubs uses video modeling to create an immersive learning environment, allowing children to observe their peers on video as they learn. When children watch their peers in real time, their MIRROR NEURONS fire up. This is scientifically proven to be highly effective in speech development, as confirmed by the University of California, Los Angeles study published by the American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA).

NEW CONTENT RELEASED REGULARLY!

We provide you with a nearly endless supply of content for your children to enjoy, including over 1500 activities, exercises, funny hats and masks, effects, videos, mini-games and more! We're always working hard to add exciting new content each and every week!

SUBSCRIPTION, PRICING, & TERMS

Speech Blubs experience starts with a 7-day free trial. You get a free personalized report with tips & tricks, plus unlimited access to all the activities, to test out our app. Subscription automatically renews unless auto-renew is turned off at least 24-hours before the end of the current period. The account will be charged for renewal within 24-hours prior to the end of the current period. Payment will be charged to iTunes Account at confirmation of purchase. Subscriptions may be managed by the user and auto-renewal may be turned off by going to the user's Account Settings after purchase. Any unused portion of a free trial period will be forfeited when the user purchases a subscription to that publication.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Speech Blubs: Language Therapy Review | Educational App Store

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Speech Blubs is a voice-controlled speech therapy app designed to help your child learn new sounds and words, and practice speaking in a stimulating, educational environment. Our 1500+ activities have been used over 1,000,000 times to trigger sound and word production in toddlers, late talkers (speech delay), children with Apraxia of Speech, Autism, Down Syndrome, ADHD, and Sensory Processing Disorder.

# data[].attributes.body
Big Birds World: Big Bird's Words uses the device's camera and augmented reality to help kids identify words in their environments. To play, kids will need access to several food packages or items with labels so they can find the words and scan them with the camera. This app is perfect for students with autism. Virtual reality has been seen to have amazing benefits from augmented reality applications, and by using real world situations students can learn key words around them.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Younger kids and those who aren't yet reading may have trouble using this app on their own, and teachers should be actively involved in helping them search for target words: Make suggestions, point kids in the right direction, point out features of letters so they can more easily find target words. Stronger beginning readers may enjoy hunting for words on their own or in small groups. In either case, teachers can expand on each word and word group with discussions about -- for example -- where milk comes from, what letters make up the word milk, and where they might find the word milk. Teachers can even get parents involved: Have kids go home with a word list and talk with their parents about where they might find the words. Everyone can share their results in class the next day. Kids can't save their word lists or record their progress, so teachers should follow kids as they interact with the app to see how they're doing.

Continue reading Show less

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Big Bird's Words...A Sesame Street App Review for Teachers | Common Sense Education

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Younger kids and those who aren't yet reading may have trouble using this app on their own, and teachers should be actively involved in helping them search for target words: Make suggestions, point kids in the right direction, point out features of letters so they can more easily find target words.

# data[].attributes.body
Text Comprehension is the most dynamic and complex skill used in reading. Text Comprehension is the ability to process text while reading. Good readers must be able to think intentionally about the text they are reading to make inferences about the text.

# data[].attributes.headline
Helpful Article about Text Comprehension and Strategies to support students

# data[].attributes.subject
Helpful Article about Text Comprehension and Strategies to support students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Endnotes

Click the "Endnotes" link above to hide these endnotes.

Adams, M., Treiman, R., & Pressley, M. (1998). Reading, writing and literacy. In I. E. Siegal and K. A. Renniger (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Child psychology in practice (5th ed., Vol. 4, pp. 275-355). New York: Wiley.

Bear, D. Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnston, F. (1996). Words their way: Word study for phonics, vocabulary, and spelling. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.

Beck, I. L., & McKeown, M. G. (1991). Conditions of vocabulary acquisition. In P. D. Pearson (Ed.), The Handbook of Reading Research (Vol. 2, pp. 789-814). New York: Longman Press.

Beck, I. L., McKeown, M. G., & Omanson, R. C. (1984). The fertility of some types of vocabulary instruction. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans.

Beck, I. L., McKeown, M. G., Hamilton, R. L., & Kucan, L. Getting at the meaning: How to help students unpack difficult text. American Educator, 22, 66-71, 85.

Beck, I. L., McCaslin, E. C., & McKeown, M. G. (1980). The rationale and design of a program to teach vocabulary to fourth-grade students. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Learning Research and Development Center.

Berninger, V., Vaughan, K., Abbott, R., Brooks, A., Abbott, S., Reed, E., Rogan, L., & Graham, S. (1998). Early intervention for spelling problems: Teaching spelling units of varying size within a multiple connections framework. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90, 587-605.

Berninger, V., Vaughan, K., Abbott, R., Abbott, S., Brooks, A., Rogan, L., Reed, E., & Graham, S. (1997). Treatment of handwriting fluency problems in beginning writing: Transfer from handwriting to composition. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89, 652-666.

Durkin, D. (1993). Teaching them to read (6th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Ehri, L., & Soffer, A. (1999). Graphophonemic awareness: Development in elementary students. Scientific Studies of Reading, 3, 1-30.

Fletcher, J. M., & Lyon, G. R. (1998). Reading: A research-based approach. In W. Evers (Ed.), What's gone wrong in America's classrooms (pp. 49-90). Stanford, CA: Hoover Institution Press.

Graham, S., Berninger, V., Abbott, R., Abbott, S., & Whitaker, D. (1997). The role of mechanics in composing of elementary school students: A new methodological approach. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89, 170-182.

Learning First Alliance (1998). Every child reading: An action plan. Washington, DC: Author.

Moats, L. C. (1995). The missing foundation in teacher education. American Educator, 19(2), 9, 43-51.

National Reading Panel. (2000). Fluency. Chap. 3 in Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching children to read: Reports of the subgroups (pp. 3-1-3-43). Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health.

National Reading Panel. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health.

National Reading Panel. (2000). Text comprehension. Part 2 of Chap. 4 in Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching children to read: Reports of the subgroups (pp. 4-39-4-118). Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health.

National Reading Panel. (2000). Vocabulary instruction. Part 1 of Chap. 4 in Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching children to read: Reports of the subgroups (pp. 4-15-4-38). Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health.

Pressley, M. (1998). Reading instruction that works: The case for balanced teaching. New York: Guilford Press.

Scarborough, H., Ehri, L., Olson, R., & Fowler, A. (1998). The fate of phonemic awareness beyond the early school years. Scientific Studies of Reading, 2, 115-142.

Snow, C., Burns, S., & Griffin, P. (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children (pp. 80-83). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Treiman, R. (1993). Beginning to spell. New York: Oxford University Press.

In addition to their mention in Every Child Reading: An Action Plan, these components are commonly delineated in documents such as research reviews, state standards on instruction, the Reading Excellence Act funding criteria, curriculum guidelines, and teacher instructional manuals.

Of course, as the National Reading Panel notes, "phonics teaching is a means to an end. . . . In implementing systematic phonics instruction, educators must keep the end in mind and ensure that children understand the purpose of learning letter sounds and that they are able to apply these skills accurately and fluently in their daily reading and writing activities" (Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institute of Health, 2000, p. 10). The panel's report also states that, notwithstanding the fact that explicit, systematic, synthetic phonics is the most effective approach, there remain unanswered questions on how to make this instruction as effective as possible. For example, the panel notes that more research is needed on questions such as how long single instruction sessions should last, how many letter-sound relations should be taught, and how many months or years a phonics program should continue. Moreover, some children will learn and appropriately apply phonics skills quickly and effortlessly, while others must be taught slowly, step by step. The individual variation in any group remains a continual challenge to teacher judgment, resourcefulness, and program management skill.

In the standardization of the Texas Primary Reading Inventory, these subtests combined predict the likelihood of success or failure with about 90 percent accuracy.

The readability of text, as reflected in sentence complexity and frequency of vocabulary, can now be assessed with software. Readability formulas tend to have more validity for children who have attained a reading level above 2nd grade than they do for those who are just beginning to read, and readability does not reflect the extent to which a text is decodable on the basis of what a child has been taught.

Endnotes

Adams, M., Treiman, R., & Pressley, M. (1998). Reading, writing and literacy. In I. E. Siegal and K. A. Renniger (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Child psychology in practice (5th ed., Vol. 4, pp. 275-355). New York: Wiley.

Bear, D. Invernizzi, M., Templeton, S., & Johnston, F. (1996). Words their way: Word study for phonics, vocabulary, and spelling. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Merrill.

Beck, I. L., & McKeown, M. G. (1991). Conditions of vocabulary acquisition. In P. D. Pearson (Ed.), The Handbook of Reading Research (Vol. 2, pp. 789-814). New York: Longman Press.

Beck, I. L., McKeown, M. G., & Omanson, R. C. (1984). The fertility of some types of vocabulary instruction. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, New Orleans.

Beck, I. L., McKeown, M. G., Hamilton, R. L., & Kucan, L. Getting at the meaning: How to help students unpack difficult text. American Educator, 22, 66-71, 85.

Beck, I. L., McCaslin, E. C., & McKeown, M. G. (1980). The rationale and design of a program to teach vocabulary to fourth-grade students. Pittsburgh, PA: University of Pittsburgh Learning Research and Development Center.

Berninger, V., Vaughan, K., Abbott, R., Brooks, A., Abbott, S., Reed, E., Rogan, L., & Graham, S. (1998). Early intervention for spelling problems: Teaching spelling units of varying size within a multiple connections framework. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90, 587-605.

Berninger, V., Vaughan, K., Abbott, R., Abbott, S., Brooks, A., Rogan, L., Reed, E., & Graham, S. (1997). Treatment of handwriting fluency problems in beginning writing: Transfer from handwriting to composition. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89, 652-666.

Durkin, D. (1993). Teaching them to read (6th ed.). Boston: Allyn & Bacon.

Ehri, L., & Soffer, A. (1999). Graphophonemic awareness: Development in elementary students. Scientific Studies of Reading, 3, 1-30.

Fletcher, J. M., & Lyon, G. R. (1998). Reading: A research-based approach. In W. Evers (Ed.), What's gone wrong in America's classrooms (pp. 49-90). Stanford, CA: Hoover Institution Press.

Graham, S., Berninger, V., Abbott, R., Abbott, S., & Whitaker, D. (1997). The role of mechanics in composing of elementary school students: A new methodological approach. Journal of Educational Psychology, 89, 170-182.

Learning First Alliance (1998). Every child reading: An action plan. Washington, DC: Author.

Moats, L. C. (1995). The missing foundation in teacher education. American Educator, 19(2), 9, 43-51.

National Reading Panel. (2000). Fluency. Chap. 3 in Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching children to read: Reports of the subgroups (pp. 3-1-3-43). Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health.

National Reading Panel. (2000). Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching children to read: An evidence-based assessment of the scientific research literature on reading and its implications for reading instruction. Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health.

National Reading Panel. (2000). Text comprehension. Part 2 of Chap. 4 in Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching children to read: Reports of the subgroups (pp. 4-39-4-118). Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health.

National Reading Panel. (2000). Vocabulary instruction. Part 1 of Chap. 4 in Report of the National Reading Panel: Teaching children to read: Reports of the subgroups (pp. 4-15-4-38). Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institutes of Health.

Pressley, M. (1998). Reading instruction that works: The case for balanced teaching. New York: Guilford Press.

Scarborough, H., Ehri, L., Olson, R., & Fowler, A. (1998). The fate of phonemic awareness beyond the early school years. Scientific Studies of Reading, 2, 115-142.

Snow, C., Burns, S., & Griffin, P. (1998). Preventing reading difficulties in young children (pp. 80-83). Washington, DC: National Academy Press.

Treiman, R. (1993). Beginning to spell. New York: Oxford University Press.

In addition to their mention in Every Child Reading: An Action Plan, these components are commonly delineated in documents such as research reviews, state standards on instruction, the Reading Excellence Act funding criteria, curriculum guidelines, and teacher instructional manuals.

Of course, as the National Reading Panel notes, "phonics teaching is a means to an end. . . . In implementing systematic phonics instruction, educators must keep the end in mind and ensure that children understand the purpose of learning letter sounds and that they are able to apply these skills accurately and fluently in their daily reading and writing activities" (Washington, DC: National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, National Institute of Health, 2000, p. 10). The panel's report also states that, notwithstanding the fact that explicit, systematic, synthetic phonics is the most effective approach, there remain unanswered questions on how to make this instruction as effective as possible. For example, the panel notes that more research is needed on questions such as how long single instruction sessions should last, how many letter-sound relations should be taught, and how many months or years a phonics program should continue. Moreover, some children will learn and appropriately apply phonics skills quickly and effortlessly, while others must be taught slowly, step by step. The individual variation in any group remains a continual challenge to teacher judgment, resourcefulness, and program management skill.

In the standardization of the Texas Primary Reading Inventory, these subtests combined predict the likelihood of success or failure with about 90 percent accuracy.

The readability of text, as reflected in sentence complexity and frequency of vocabulary, can now be assessed with software. Readability formulas tend to have more validity for children who have attained a reading level above 2nd grade than they do for those who are just beginning to read, and readability does not reflect the extent to which a text is decodable on the basis of what a child has been taught.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Click the "Endnotes" link above to hide these endnotes. Adams, M., Treiman, R., & Pressley, M. (1998). Reading, writing and literacy. In I. E. Siegal and K. A. Renniger (Eds.), Handbook of child psychology: Child psychology in practice (5th ed., Vol. 4, pp. 275-355). New York: Wiley. Bear, D.

# data[].attributes.body
Students with ASD struggle with text comprehension because they have  deficits in theory of mind, weak central coherence, and executive functioning.

For readers with ASD they struggle with relating the text to their life, and this makes it very difficult for them to comprehend the text. Individuals need to be able to think intentionally while they are reading, and that is very difficult for those with ASD.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
READING COMPREHENSION for CHILDREN   ----Exercise 1----

# data[].attributes.body
BookBox: This website/app digitally narrates text with simple animations and streaming text across the bottom. This app is useful for individuals with ASD because they can see images, and relate it back to the text, and make a connection between the text, and the actual image.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Powered by Same Language Subtitling (SLS).

Makes reading fun, automatic and inescapable.

Supports the deaf and hearing impaired.

Helps in learning new languages.

Platform agnostic: print books, CDs, DVDs, TV, computers & mobile apps.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
BookBox - A 'book' for every child in his/her language

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Powered by Same Language Subtitling (SLS). Makes reading fun, automatic and inescapable. Supports the deaf and hearing impaired. Helps in learning new languages. Platform agnostic: print books, CDs, DVDs, TV, computers & mobile apps.

# data[].attributes.body
Inspiration Maps: A versatile mind-mapping tool to help kids visually organize information and ideas. Easily create diagrams, maps, organizers, brainstorms, and text outlines.Students with ASD work with with visuals, and having the this app would allow them to map out their ideas to visually see what they have read about.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
‎Welcome to Inspiration Maps™, the most intuitive and powerful visual learning app on the iPad. Build beautiful diagrams, graphic organizers and outlines with ease! Getting organized has never been this simple. ________
What’s the difference between ‘INSPIRATION MAPS’ and ‘INSPIRATION MAPS VPP’? ’…

# data[].attributes.body
Kidspiration Maps: This is an easy-to-use and versatile mind-mapping tool that can be used in all subject areas. Includes an image-to-text conversion feature. This bright colorful app helps capture the attention of students, and brings bright colorful images to keep their focus. Visually the students will be able to see what they have read using images, and can connect the image back to the text.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Kidspiration Maps - Diagramming Apps, LLC

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Apple, the Apple logo, iPhone and iPad are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. Inspiration, Kidspiration, and RapidFire are registered trademarks of Inspiration Software, Inc.

# data[].attributes.body
Reading fluency is the ability to read text accurately, and effortlessly. Fluent readers can make their reading sound like spontaneously generated natural speech.

# data[].attributes.headline
Helpful Article about Text Comprehension and Strategies to support students

# data[].attributes.subject
Helpful Article about Text Comprehension and Strategies to support students

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Research on reading has shown that children acquire decoding and reading comprehension skills at the same time, but that each skill develops independently of the other. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) typically perform at average or above average levels when it comes to decoding written language.

However, they are generally better at sounding out and identifying words than understanding what they have read. This may be because comprehension is a more abstract skill than decoding. It relies on a reader's sensitivity to story structure, ability to pick up on referents, make inferences and use prior knowledge of the subject to makes sense of the text.

Attention and working memory are also implicated, as metacognitive monitoring strategies ensure the reader is following along.

Autism spectrum disorder

While no two students with autism will have the same set or degree of symptoms, children with ASD typically struggle with communication and social interaction. They may exhibit repetitive behaviour, focus on small details and lack the ability to "read between the lines."

This means that figurative language encountered during reading can be taken literally and they may have difficulty looking at a text globally in order to grasp gist or identify the author's purpose in writing.

Some students with autism are non-verbal. In these situations, it can be difficult to differentiate between a lack of understanding following a reading and an inability to relate what the child has understood.

For this reason, some educators advocate taking a variety of approaches to assess reading comprehension including allowing students ample time to respond to comprehension questions, providing objects they can manipulate to demonstrate an understanding of what has been read and even encouraging the creation of collages that reflect their reaction to a text.

Learn more in strategies for students with autism.

How reading works

Early reading instruction focuses on teaching children decoding skills so they are able to sound out written language. This requires phonemic awareness, knowledge of the alphabet and the ability to correctly map sounds to letters and letter combinations.

Once a word has been identified, semantic meaning can be accessed. As vocabulary grows, sight-reading skills develop because familiar words are recognized more quickly. When decoding is no longer necessary, the process speeds up and this frees cognitive energy in the brain for focusing on comprehension and making meaning out of what has been read. Learn more about teaching children how to read.

In order to make sense of narrative, students must interact with a text by accessing their prior knowledge of a subject and making inferences. Strong readers pick up on gist and specific details, attribute significance to the order in which information is presented and rely on referents within the text to follow along.

Other factors such as the coherence of a text and the size of a child's vocabulary can also impact reading comprehension. For example, it's important that a ratio of 10:1 known to unknown words exists as too many unfamiliar terms can hinder contextual guessing and cause frustration and cognitive overload.
TOP TIP: An easy way to know if a text is beyond a student's level is to have them read several paragraphs and raise a finger every time an unfamiliar word is encountered. If at the end of the page all five fingers are raised, it may be wise to choose material containing more familiar vocabulary.
Autism and reading comprehension

Students with autism may read and process language in a fluent way. This is in contrast to children with dyslexia who often struggle to decode written language. Nonetheless, these students are not always able to access semantic meaning in the same way.

They can have trouble visualizing action and understanding the social interactions upon which many storylines rely. Subtle hints left by the author can be missed or a detail might absorb all of the child's attention so the rest of the text is not fully processed.

Have you heard of hyperlexia? Some students with autism possess an uncanny ability to read and process text at a very fast pace. Researchers have used brain scans to show that this is due to simultaneous activity in the left and right hemispheres of the brain, allowing for phonological and visual processing to be engaged at the same time.

Helping students with autism

Autism is referred to as a spectrum disorder due to the wide range of symptoms that individuals may present. For this reason, it's important to explore a variety of interventions if one strategy for enhancing comprehension is proving ineffective.

1. Start with audio-books or books that contain images. Some students with autism learn best through sound while others tend to be strong visual learners. Take advantage of this by playing audio-books in the car or on a home stereo or reading picture books that clearly show action and narrative progression.

2. Read together from an early age. The sooner you start reading to a child with ASD the better, as fostering a love of books and familiarity with how they work are important pre-literacy skills for children to develop.

3. Demonstrate active reading skills. Narrate your understanding of a text out loud, even if the child does not seem interested. You might go so far as to ask and answer questions to model the types of internal monitoring that skilled readers engage in.

4. Select material on their favourite subject. Some children take an extreme interest in certain subject areas so try providing them with material that satisfies their thirst for knowledge. Any practice with reading comprehension is helpful even if it means they read several books on the same topic.

5. Show them how to read on a computer or tablet. Technology is often a preferred medium for learning given it doesn't require any social interaction. Show learners how to research online, read material from the web and access digital books.

6. Emphasize top-down strategies. Taking a global perspective in reading can be difficult, as can connecting a text to external ideas. Help learners activate prior-knowledge in order to relate the reading to concepts they're already aware of. You can try making mind-maps or having a discussion about the topic before the reading begins.

7. Highlight referents and annotate paragraphs. Teach children with autism to monitor their understanding as they read. Show them how to re-read for missing information. It may be helpful to highlight and underline text.

8. Discuss figurative language. Making inferences is not always the easiest skill to master, which is why parents and teachers can help by explaining the meaning behind abstract language.

9. Promote sight reading. The more words a child recognizes, the easier it is to understand a sentence. New readers can reduce the amount of decoding needed by familiarizing themselves with sight words or high frequency terms that they are likely to encounter regularly. Read more about teaching sight words.

TTRS can help

The Touch-type Read and Spell programme is a multi-sensory course that enhances literacy through the teaching of keyboarding skills. Learners hear a word spoken out loud, see it on the screen and then type the corresponding keys. Modules follow the phonics based Orton-Gillingham approach and students are repeatedly exposed to high frequency vocabulary in order to teach sight-reading.

TTRS may be particularly helpful for autistic children as it is delivered via a computer and students can take a self-directed approach to learning. This means they can review past lessons until they feel ready to move on. Learners also benefit from personalized feedback and progress monitoring that helps to build self-esteem and confidence in students of all ages.
Do you have any experience with autism and reading comprehension? Join the discussion in the comments!

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Research on reading has shown that children acquire decoding and reading comprehension skills at the same time, but that each skill develops independently of the other. Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) typically perform at average or above average levels when it comes to decoding written language.

# data[].attributes.body
Some students with ASD struggle to integrate the words into meaningful phrases because of cognitive resources be used trying to make the sound of each word.

Reading fluency is only possible when decoding words have become automatic, which can often be a difficult skill.

Although reading fluency can be difficult for those with ASD, this skills is imperative for them to be able to put meaning behind text.

# data[].attributes.headline
Video about reading fluency, and strategies for individuals

# data[].attributes.subject
Video about reading fluency, and strategies for individuals

# data[].attributes.body
Reading Pro by Hooked on Phonics:  This app is Loaded with videos, games and stories, Reading Pro teaches 7 to 10-year-olds strategies for learning new words, and lets them practice reading them in the real world. Real world experience is key for those with ASD to learn to connect the things they are learning to the real world.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
Yes. The Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read App systematically teaches the following Common Core Reading Foundational Skills for Kindergarten:

Concepts of Print
Phonological awareness
Letter-Sound Correspondence
High Frequency word recognition

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Yes. The Hooked on Phonics Learn to Read App systematically teaches the following Common Core Reading Foundational Skills for Kindergarten: Concepts of Print Phonological awareness Letter-Sound Correspondence High Frequency word recognition

# data[].attributes.body
One Minute Reader: One Minute Reader includes audio-supported definitions for selected vocabulary words in the stories, which helps readers learn the meanings and pronunciations of words they may find challenging…A quiz step asks questions about the story to make sure students think about what the story is about and the ideas in it. Students with Autism often like to be challenged in fun exciting games that can keep their attention. This game incorporated the skills of reading fluency, but does it in a fun game like experience.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
One Minute Reader Fluency App and Audio-Supported Books

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
The One Minute Reader iPad app and audio-supported books apply the research-based Read Naturally Strategy to improve fluency, comprehension, and vocabulary.

# data[].attributes.body
Read me Stories: Read Me Stories is perfect for beginning readers. They will enjoy a completely tailored reading experience, starting at their current reading level, learning at their own pace, which is key for those with Autism. This app tailors to them, and increases the difficulty as they move through the app. This will keep their attention, and these short stories will peak their interest, and keep them learning.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.readable_text
All membership plans come with full access to our entire suite of tools learning guides, and resources. Here are a few of the ones we think you'll like the most:

Personalized learning profiles for up to 5 children.

Access to our complete library of technology learning guides.

A personalized stream of advice, articles, and recommendations.

And of course, lots, lots more...

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
Read Me Stories - LearningWorks for Kids

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
All membership plans come with full access to our entire suite of tools learning guides, and resources. Here are a few of the ones we think you'll like the most: Personalized learning profiles for up to 5 children. Access to our complete library of technology learning guides.