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Teaching Children with Autism How to Spell

Learning how to spell does not simply have to be memorising letters, but can be a fun and enjoyable experience for children as they explore the various letters and letter sounds in words.
Learning how to spell does not simply have to be memorising letters, but can be a fun and enjoyable experience for children as they explore the various letters and letter sounds in words.

Spelling is an important aspect of language which is more than just knowing how to form words and sentences, but also provides a platform for children with autism to enhance their communication skills (Colenbrander et al., 2019). This allows for more social interactions with others, and the ability for children with autism to effectively express their needs, thoughts, and feelings with others (Tager-Flusberg et al., 2005). Children are typically taught to spell through memorisation and phonics instructional approaches in the classroom (Treiman, 2018). However, as  children with autism experience learning difficulties as compared to neurotypical children, teaching them how to spell can be done through fun and meaningful activities to develop their orthographic memory (recognition of written words) and phonological awareness (recognition of letter sounds and ability to blend them to form words).


This can be done through multi-sensory activities such as: 


1. Matching activities: Cards can be hidden around the house for children to find and match

Matching:

Example:

Helps in:

Letters to pictures

‘A’ with a picture of an apple

Recognising letters and its corresponding letter sound

Words to images

‘Dog’ with a picture of a dog

Word recognition and understanding that words represent objects

Pairs of same word

‘House’ with ‘House’

Word recognition and orthographic memory

Words with same beginning or ending blends/ diagraphs

‘Cloud’ with ‘Clip’ / 

‘Fish’ with ‘Dish’

Strengthening phonological awareness and awareness of words with similar beginning/ ending sounds

2. Blending activities

These activities focus on combining individual sounds (phonemes) to form words. Foam letters or letter tiles can be provided for children to physically manipulate and move the letters together as they blend the sounds (eg. /c/, /a/, /t/, “cat”). Activities can also include movement, such as clapping, tapping or jumping while blending the sounds together (eg. /c/ (clap), /a/ (clap), /t/ (clap)). 


3. Interactive websites


4. Flashcard activities

Flashcards can be useful in helping children with autism better recognise high-frequency and sight words. Activities can include picking up flashcards in a sensory bin, searching for flashcards around the house, laying out flashcards on the floor and tossing a beanbag onto it or BINGO, with the words placed on the mat. Apart from simply reading out the words, children can attempt to copy the words in the air, on a whiteboard, using playdough or on a surface with shaving cream and flour. Through copying the words, children will be able to better recognise the words and its spelling. More advanced learners can also write out sentences or stories using these words to practice their spelling. 


Teaching children with autism how to spell might take some time. It is important to recognise your child’s efforts and provide reinforcement whenever possible, to further motivate and engage them in this learning process. As every child is different, it would be good to tailor the activities to suit their needs, while incorporating their interests whenever possible (for example, by including pictures of things they like on flashcards, or having more sensory activities for children who prefer a more sensory approach to learning). 


Written by: Mary-Anne 


References


Colenbrander, D., Miles, K. P., & Ricketts, J. (2019). To see or not to see: How does

seeing spellings support vocabulary learning?. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 50(4), 609–628. https://doi.org/10.1044/2019_LSHSS-VOIA-18-0135


Tager-Flusberg, H., Paul, R., & Lord, C. (2005). Language and communication in Autism. In F. R. Volkmar, R. Paul, A. Klin, & D. Cohen (Eds.), Handbook of Autism and pervasive developmental disorders: Diagnosis, development, neurobiology, and behavior (pp. 335–364). John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780470939345.ch12


Treiman, R. (2018). Teaching and learning spelling. Child Development Perspectives, 12(4), 1–5. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdep.12292




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