Digital Books and Autism: A Perfect Combination?

CONTENTS

Presentation

Applicable for:

• elementary school librarians!
• middle school librarians!
• high school librarians!
• youth librarian at the public library
• other public librarians!
• tech directors
• special educators
• language arts teachers
• classroom teachers

What Can You Do?

13 Reasons Why to Use Digital Books

Why is This Important?

Understand the Challenge

About Us

Review of Terms

Etienne Vallée, Director of Technology

he/him

evallee@sau45.org

Moultonborough School District, New Hampshire

Twitter: @awesomlibrarian

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Nazrien J. Mehta, Therapy Assistant for Autism

she/her

njjm87@hotmail.com

Al Karamah School & Training Institute, Abu Dhabi, UAE

Instagram: @creativegypsyqueen

“If you've met one person with autism, you've met one person with autism” - Dr. Stephen Shore, autistic professor of special education at Adelphi University, NY.

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APA 7 (2019, p. 136) recommends the following approach when discussing Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

• Person-first APA suggestion: person with autism
• Identity-first APA suggestion: autistic person
• Autistic people prefer the identity-first label.
• The Autistic community also prefers the term Condition instead of the word Disorder.
• For this presentation, we’re using the identify-first approach.
• No two person with autism are the same. We’re making generalizations here, but everyone is unique and every student with autism spectrum conditions experiences ASD differently.

There are 8 sensory systems.

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1. Auditory (hear)
2. Visual (see)
3. Tactile (touch)
4. Gustatory (taste)
5. Olfactory (smell)
6. Vestibular (balance and coordination)
7. Proprioception (muscles and joint)
8. Interoception (internal system)

Students with autism spectrum condition have significantly impaired sensory input. They either over process sensory information, or they under process it:

• Hypersensitivity of a sensory system means an overload of sensory input. This prevents students from concentrating on what they read.
• Hyposensitivity of a sensory system means that there is a lack of sensory input. This would likely prevent students to not be able to decode words fast enough when they read to build meaning.

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Other issues include:

• lack of interest
• a loss of focus on the story
• detrimental social interactions

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Either way, this leads to a reading deficit.

Pyramid of Learning

These deficits affect several components of reading comprehension:

• Sensory systems for reading - visual, tactile, auditory
• Learning disabilities like dyslexia (reading), dysgraphia (writing), dysphasia/aphasia (language)
• Difficulty with letter to sound correspondence
• Self-reinforcing expectations that they will struggle
• Increases difficulty with
• vocabulary
• communication
• comprehension
• decoding
• Shortage of appropriately trained specialized staff

Digital books as a possible solution?

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Most students with autism spectrum condition share is a predilection for electronic devices, which minimize social interactions

1. Accessibility tools such as text to speech to “read” content on a screen help the reader and can make them more independent.
• The ability to experience sounds and videos embedded in the book provides additional audio and visual supports that facilitate reading comprehension.
• Robotic voice can also reduce emotional connection to a narrator

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• Settings such as font size and color and background color can be customized. Sitka font help support with easement of reading compared to other fonts.

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3. Fine motor coordination issues such as turning pages or self-stimulatory behavior (motor stereotypy and/or vocal stereotypy, both behaviors also referred to as stimming) can be better managed when a student doesn’t need to hold a book in their hands.

• Texture, crossing midline (moving eyes left to right and right to left), and other sensory and inputs are also factors that affect reading
• Products like the reMarkable Tablet (https://remarkable.com/) now aim to reproduce the texture of paper

4. Dictionary, glossary, and search tools help explain the content and can be used in different languages for ELL or world language populations.

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5. Annotation and bookmark tools track important passages and let students write down thoughts

6. Audiobooks read-back speeds can be increased or decreased, allowing students to better follow the story.

7. It diminishes the perception of low reading skills. No one can tell how big or small the book that you are reading is!

• This addresses self-sabotage issues and removes the self-fulling prophecy that a student cannot read a “big book.”
• It also addresses issues of privacy. No one else knows what the student is reading.

8. Interactive features help students focus on the appropriate reading area.

9. Reinforces concepts through repetition
10. Motivation to read can be increased when students use a digital device.
• Can also be used to track reading and hold competitions
11. Focus eyesight on specific elements
12. Provides more autonomy and minimizes interactions
• Book websites can recommend related books
13. Quick to obtain and download to a device-storage space is massive!

1. Speak to your school, local special education teacher or tech department
2. Speak to your students’ parents - they may already use digital books or they may be willing to support their student reading digitally.
3. Find out your students’ interests through observation
4. Offer them choices, but stick to a maximum of two- more choices may overwhelm them
5. When using a device, make sure the brightness setting is apt (not too bright and not too dark)
6. Offer a choice of the device setting sounds to be on or off

7. Let them explore on their own. If they need help, they will come to you!

8. Observe them operating the device, and ask them what they like and don’t like about reading this way.

9. Help them find their comfort zone on their device while reading!

10. Make sure their reading environment is calm-no loud noises in the background, or bright light in the room-a cool and (dim) room should suffice.

11. Just be patient and understanding!

12. Remember, what may work for one student, may not work for others.

References

Bilousova, L. I., Gryzun, L. E., & Volkova, N. P. (2020). Features of design of digital aids for training students with autistic disorders. [Paper presentation]. Cloud Technologies in Education 8th Annual Workshop, Kryvyi Rih, Ukraine.

Caron, J., Light, J., Holyfield, C., & McNaughton, D. (2018). Effects of dynamic text in an AAC app on sight word reading for individuals with autism spectrum disorder. Augmentative and Alternative Communication, 34(2), 143–154. https://doi.org/10.1080/07434618.2018.1457715

Howorth, S. K., Rooks-Ellis, D., Flanagan, S., & Ok, M. W. (2019). Augmented reality supporting reading skills of students with autism spectrum disorder. Intervention in School and Clinic, 55(2), 71–77. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053451219837635

Knight, V. F., Wood, C. L., Spooner, F., Browder, D. M., & O’Brien, C. P. (2015). An exploratory study using science eTexts with students with autism spectrum disorder. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 30(2), 86–99. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088357614559214

Mandak, K., Light, J., & McNaughton, D. (2019). Digital books with dynamic text and speech output: Effects on sight word reading for preschoolers with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 49(3), 1193–1204. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-018-3817-1

Murry, F. (2018). Using assistive technology to generate social skills use for students with emotional behavior disorders. Rural Special Education Quarterly, 37(4), 235–244. https://doi.org/10.1177/8756870518801367

Price, A. (2011). Making a difference with smart tablets. Teacher Librarian, 39(1), 31–34.

Spooner, F., Ahlgrim-Delzell, L., Kemp-Inman, A., & Wood, L. A. (2014). Using an iPad2® with systematic instruction to teach shared stories for elementary-aged students with autism. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 39(1), 30–46. https://doi.org/10.1177/154079691453463

Williams, M.S., & Shellenberger S. (1996). How does your engine run? Leader’s guide to the alert program for self-regulation. TherapyWorks.

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