Anonymous wrote:I provide academic therapy for kids with language-based learning disabilities. I would echo the post about Orton-Gillingham based programs for basic reading skills (decoding / encoding). It is simply too difficult to expect any child to memorize all the words in English to develop sight word fluency. For comprehension, from my experience, autistic spectrum kids often do not visualize and do not understand figurative language (which makes nonfiction much easier for them to access). Lindamood Bell's Visualizing and Verbalizing (through Gander publishing) can be very effective. Start with pictures then the pre-primary level, which requires only listening. A more challenging resource is Neuhaus's Developing Metacognitive Skills. This program starts with listening comprehension as well but focuses on main idea/ supporting ideas for non-fiction and understanding the elements of plot for fiction. Both Visualizing and Verbalizing and Neuhaus can be pricey, so try to check them out carefully.

To make substantial progress, expect to work with your DD daily.

NP, to add to the above - I have an ADHD kid that scores very low in social pragmatic communication, which I imagine a kid with autism would also score low in. As my DC has grown older., comprehension of fiction depends more and more on 2 things: 1) understanding implicit social and emotional behavior and the conventions for writing about it and 2) picking up on small clues in writing to put together a whole picture of plot and/or character.

For example, for #1, DC would have to recognize that a sentence that describes a character drumming gingers on the table or bouncing crossed leg indicates a character who is impatient or anxious. DC would not pick up on this body language in real life, so it is not surprising he would not comprehend a written implict illustration of this.

For example, for #2, DC could not put together clues in a ABC mystery series to understand who the perpetrator was. I would usually have to read this with him amd point out and explain clues otherwise the clue was, to him, just a useless piece of detail.

To improve on #2, we often re-watch movies together and pause to discuss visual clues. I've made the point that books, like movies have clues about the story, which are parts of the story that are not explicitly told.

Anonymous wrote:My kid is dyslexic but not autistic, so take this for what it is worth. Orrin gillingham is all about rules and patterns for figuring out words. If your kid likes rules, she might find it better than other teaching methods. My advice is to find an OG tutor who gets your kid. Meet with a few. Our tutor had a special needs kid of her own and just clicked with my kid, and that was everything. She found materials he'd like to read, etc. Good luck, OP!

I agree with this 100%. My DS has ASD and dyslexia. We had a horrible match with our first tutor that ended with him refusing to do any work. We now have such a great match that I could literally cry for joy. On the way home last night, DS told me his favorite of his sessions isn't the prize he gets to pick at the end but is actually the learning.

Obviously I don't know your DD, but if she hates decoding I would be suspicious that it's because she doesn't have a strong foundation in the "rules" of decoding. Without that it can be hard and overwhelming so of course she would hate it. Memorizing sight words are how kids with strong visual memories compensate for missing skills with decoding. Unfortunately that becomes less and less effective the further along she goes. An O-G based program (you've had several good recommendations) is all about teaching the foundational rules and then practicing those rules for fluency.

Programs like raz-kids are good for kids who are reading and just need practice, but does not explicitly teach decoding rules and skills. Since that's her area of struggle, I would not recommend it right now. I would recommend an O-G based tutor or a parent-taught O-G program (like Barton or Abcderian) alongside reading to her at her intellectual level followed by discussion (to work on comprehension).