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Autistic children have the ability to learn how to read. This has increased the demand for books for autistic children. Parents and teachers can truly benefit from choosing the right book for the child to advance their skills and make reading lots of fun. Use these guidelines to assist you in selecting books for autistic kids.
Be aware of the child’s preferences and learning style. Autism often amplifies specific senses, so different kids may prefer working with bright colors, interesting sounds or their hands. There are books available that cater to the unique abilities of autistic kids. Therefore, it is important to pay particular attention to your child’s inclinations.
Choose autistic children’s books of an interactive nature. Books that encourage responses or making up tunes are always best, as well as readers that are flash cards for word association skills. On the same note, avoid children’s books that have fantasy stories. Such stories focus on animals, birds or inanimate objects exhibiting human characteristics like speaking or dressing. Stick to a literal theme as much as possible, where animals act like animals and objects remain objects.
Select a book that breaks down the content into small, but memorable chunks for your autistic child to read. Some autistic kids are known to have a photographic memory and can repeat any piece of text word for word. Remember that the aim of getting a book for an autistic child is to encourage learning, not necessarily to improve their memory skills. Your child will pay greater attention when given smaller portions of interesting reading. Look for a book that matches the child’s age and existing reading abilities, if any.
Parents and caregivers are often worried that the autistic child will tear up or ruin books. As a precaution, choose a book for an autistic child that has a hard cover, with laminated or plastic pages that are resistant to dirt, water and tearing. Such a book will serve the child very well especially if he/she desires to read in a variety of places. Heard-wearing books provide you with the opportunity to read to the child outdoors or indoors, during meals and baths.
Keep safety first even when buying autistic children’s books. As mentioned above, the book should be durable, free from sharp edges and made with child friendly plastics and cardboard. In addition to reading the book, the child should be able to play with it. Check with manufacturers and publishers for the top quality books that are safe for your autistic child.
Be prepared to spend a little more on books for autistic kids because of the nature of the books and their safety features. Buy several kinds of books. Have several copies of the same book in case it gets damaged in the process of teaching the child to read. Overall, look for autistic children’s books that encourage language and socialization skills to prepare the child to enhance and increase his/her interactions with adults and other children.
Haliyma Barrow is a freelance article writer with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Spanish and a minor in journalism from Indiana University of Pennsylvania. Haliyma enjoys topics such as children’s health issues and literature reviews.
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