Books for Children with Autism

A mother reads a book filled with colors and interesting illustrations to get the child’s attention.

Introduction

Children with Autism often have distinct sensorial perceptions and unique communication styles. These needs and sensitivities are important as they shape how they understand narratives in stories and can impact their engagement levels when reading specific books. As every child’s experience is unique, identifying specific learning styles and traits can help parents, caregivers, and teachers in finding books that cater to each child’s learning capabilities and therefore, make reading a meaningful experience for both the child and adult. 

Sensorial learners

Providing opportunities for children with Autism to interact with the book creates room for them to be curious, spurring spontaneous moments to engage with and learn about the book at hand. Sensorial learners can significantly benefit from this, as they can touch and feel various materials and textures in the book. This tactile interaction helps maintain their attention on the story by engaging with other elements like illustrations and words (Grace & Longhorn, 2015). By catering to the sensorial sensitivities, it creates a positive reading experience for the child as they get to receive sensory stimulation from the book without being overwhelmed by the information that it provides. Moreover, it gives the opportunity for the adult to engage in conversations with the child about what they are feeling and link it to what is happening in the story. This enhances the whole reading experience for the adult and child meaningfully.

Visual elements

Visual elements in storybooks are also impactful in appealing to children who are strong visual learners (Devine, 2016). The use of bright colours and clear illustrations can help encourage these children to be curious about what they are seeing in the storybook. By capturing their attention, it, therefore, allows them to engage meaningfully with the book to follow the storyline. The use of clear colors and simple illustrations would also help them understand the story's message and minimize distractions from unnecessary elements, such as unstructured drawings or dull colors, that could divert their attention from the main narrative (Nikolajeva, 2003). 

Inclusive storylines

Most importantly, introducing these children to books where their experiences and challenges are represented by characters with Autism can help develop empathy and inculcate a sense of belonging (Tsunemi et al., 2014). Depictions of the character’s life stories, along with the social challenges that children with Autism may face in day-to-day routines, such as difficulty with social interactions, understanding social cues, and managing sensory sensitivities, can help these children understand how others may view them. Through understanding these stories on a personal level and perhaps, relating to the struggles that are faced by the characters in the story, it can help them learn important skills to navigate in their daily interactions and social communication with others. Showing inclusivity through stories can greatly benefit these children.

In conclusion, having sensorial and visual elements, along with inclusive storylines can provide positive reading experiences for these children. These factors cater to the distinct needs of children with Autism, and hence, enhances their capabilities to understand stories and develop vital cognitive skills like attention and processing. 

Written by: Fadilah

References

Image: https://www.pexels.com/photo/woman-reading-book-to-toddler-1741231/

Devine, A. (2016). Literacy for visual learners : teaching children with learning difficulties 

to read, write, communicate and create. Jessical Kingsley Publishers.

Grace, J., & Longhorn, F. (2015). Sensory stories for children and teens with special 

educational needs : a practical guide. Jessica Kingsley Publishers.

Nikolajeva, M. (2003). Verbal and visual literacy: The role of picturebooks in the reading 

experience of young children. Handbook of early childhood literacy, 235-248.

Tsunemi, K., Tamura, A., Ogawa, S., Isomura, T., Ito, H., Ida, M., & Masataka, N. (2014). 

Intensive exposure to narrative in story books as a possibly effective treatment of social perspective-taking in schoolchildren with autism. Frontiers in psychology, 5, 2.