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Focus on Inclusive Education: Literacy Instruction for a Child With Echolalia on the Autism Spectrum

Teaching literacy to a child on the autism spectrum hinges on the ability of the child to shift from sight reading—in which words, like pictures, are recognized by their unique configurations—to an understanding that words are composed of letters representing sounds that, when blended in sequence, create a familiar spoken word (Miller & Hilliard, 2010). This shift from picture/words to phonics can be difficult for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). While they may know the alphabet, they may not understand that it is the blending of sounds represented by letter sequences that allow them to pronounce words accurately and thus derive meaning from otherwise unfamiliar printed forms. While some children on the autism spectrum may experience difficulty with word level reading, an even greater number struggle with reading comprehension. Therefore, both code-focused and meaning-focused reading instruction remain a priority (Whalon, Al Otaiba, & Delano, 2009). A comprehensive reading program should target the following five components of evidence-based reading instruction: phonemic awareness, phonics, reading fluency, vocabulary, and comprehension strategies (National Reading Panel, 2000). Although myriad reading programs target some or all of the aforementioned components,