ASD kids and reading

[BatleyTownswomensGuild]

Can I ask how your ASD kids got on with reading.

DS (6) is just starting to learn to read but phonics don't seem to be helping him hugely. He seems to be picking up most of the words he knows from sight reading - particularly if they relate to his special interests. So he can't read common words such as 'house' 'like' etc but he can read the names of London Underground stations!

I'm not overly concerned by this, but would just like to understand this whole area more. Any strategies people can recommend would be gratefully received!

That's terrific that he's picking up words by sight 😀 I'd say keep up the phonics as another tool in the toolkit (and it's useful for spelling later, our school scheme follows their phonics scheme). My son (no diagnosis but some traits) was really keen on online phonics apps and games (Alphablocks, teach your monster to read, reading eggs) but not really enthralled by it otherwise ... so all his phonics came via the tablet 😜

If you haven’t looked already, there have been a number of threads in Primary Education over the years where posters discuss various methods for children who are struggling in one way or another. It’s worth a search to see if any particular approach seems appropriate for your child.

This is the most recent thread. Not exactly the same issue you have but quite a varied discussion with lots of practical advice.

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/primary/3833710-5-year-old-reading-well-but-struggling-with-phonics?pg=1&order=

ds1 liked reading and did well with it. ds5 is struggling with reading but loves numbers. He likes the non fiction reading books as they have an index at the back. He also gets confused and has meltdowns because he can't read the small print on the inside of the cover with the copyright info etc.

My DS learnt to read by sight before he was taught at school, as did DD. Both autistic. I think this is fairly common in autistic children with a strong visual memory.