The Autism Society Event and Education Recordings Archive

The Writing Together Program is a relationship-based approach to help individuals with autism and Asperger's syndrome become co-creators of written work. Samples of written work, as well as a model for teaching which includes activity plans and strategies will be included. Writing is often considered the most challenging academic skill for students with autism spectrum disorders. Teachers frequently notice that children with autism have many creative ideas, but are unwilling or unable to generate written work which reflects their thoughts. In this session, a new approach to teaching creative writing to this population will be presented. The approach has been developed through my experience as a teacher and clinician, where I have helped many children develop wonderful and exciting written products.

A model for writing together will be presented, which includes the following components:

1.The Process Component-- Writing as Child's Play A play-based approach to teaching writing will be described, including both social and symbolic aspects of writing. Writing will be discussed as an activity which can be used to facilitate social skills development and relationship-building. Important principles and interactive techniques will be discussed and demonstrated through videotaped samples of play-based writing activities.

2.The Product Component--Creating Work any Grown-up would be Proud to share Strategies to help children approach the fine-motor and organizational aspects of writing will be discussed. Examples of children's written work which has been produced collaboratively will be shown.

The Writing Together Model will be helpful for teachers, therapists, and parents as they work on building relationships with their children with autism and Asperger's Syndrome. The program can be useful for children with many different cognitive and language abilities. The most exciting outcomes for the program have been the increases in children's' self-esteem and willingness to interact with others around the writing activities. Most children who have been involved in the Writing Together program begin to enjoy writing and think of themselves as “writers.” Even more important, they begin to realize the importance and joys of working together instead of alone. Feedback on the program from children and their parents will be included.

Participants in this workshop will be able to:

1. Describe the similarities between collaborative writing activities and play.

2. Practice strategies to improve the quality of their children's written work.

3. Implement play-based writing activities in their classrooms, homes, or clinics.

Content Area: Education