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Relevance: There are many factors to consider when determining the best reading resources and strategies. When working with children with autism, who are unique individuals having different strengths, challenges, learning styles, linguistic and cultural backgrounds, as well as a spectrum of disabilities, determining the best resources and strategies that will meet all of their varied and unique characteristics is even more difficult. Learning to read requires programs, resources, and strategies that address the academic content standards. However, designing literacy instruction for students with autism requires attention to several other factors. Professionals must address biological and sensory factors across learning environments, and issues of motivation and reinforcement. Other important considerations include visual and structural accommodations and supports, and ensuring that the level of task demand meets each child's instructional level. Prerequisite and missing skills must also be identified and taught. Finally, and perhaps most important, professionals must ensure that that the language used during reading instruction is comprehensible to students with autism and significant learning needs.

Teaching reading is a complex process that often leaves professionals feeling overwhelmed or inadequate. This presentation offers an overview of research-based literacy programs and strategies identified in the literature for students with significant learning needs and autism. These strategies are then discussed in terms of the positive behavioral intervention and supports (PBIS) three-tier framework of academic and behavioral instruction. Specifically, we will describe practical school-wide interventions, targeted interventions, and intensive individualized interventions. Though no single program or strategy was identified as adequate to address all aspects of literacy instruction; each is designed to target a specific instructional area. As children are varied, the make-up of schools and classrooms is also varied. Throughout the presentation, we recommend that these programs and strategies be thought of as fluid interventions that can move among the tiers on a continuum. Some programs and strategies that are targeted interventions in one school may be school wide interventions, or intensive individualized interventions at another based on the unique make-up of each individual school community.

This presentation will:

- Provide an overview of specific considerations for designing literacy instruction for students with autism and significant learning needs. These considerations are based in the literature on the learning characteristics of students with autism.

- Offer practical, evidence-based strategies for designing literacy instruction for students with autism and significant learning needs. These strategies align with the guidelines provided by the National Reading Panel.

- Link specific strategies to a three-tier model for academic and behavioral intervention.

- Briefly describe the areas of needed research in the field of autism and literacy instruction.