Picture Books, A Reading Tool for Older Kids with Autism

Older kids with autism often have difficulty comprehending text that they can easily read. This has become a dilemma for many a parent who doesn't want to "insult" their child by having them read easier books, but realizes that books on their level are too difficult for them to comprehend. For these parents, I often reassure them that there is great worth in revisiting the picture book. Many kids missed this stage early on because they were focused on learning spoken language and didn't get a chance to experience picture books for meaning. Picture books have a high word to meaning ratio. This means that the author is challenged to pack in more meaning into fewer words. They do this by putting ample meaning into illustrations and by requiring that the reader to use inference skills grasp what the author did not overtly say. This is a great starting point to learn higher level thinking, sequencing, cause and effect, and main idea. Oh, and many kids actually enjoy the experience!

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