April is National Autism Awareness Month

 

In recognition of April as National Autism Awareness Month, the Autism Society leads a nationwide effort to promote inclusion for everyone with Autism Spectrum Disorder, a complex developmental disability.

Signs of autism typically appear during early childhood and can affect a person's ability to communicate and interact with others.

During a visit to FOX 26 Morning News, Melissa Williams, children's literature author and iWRITE Literacy Organization founder explains how the disorder can affect literacy in children.

Children with ASD may lack important early literacy skills, such as understanding why people read and write, or understanding the characters' actions and intentions in a story, according to Hanen.org. Understanding a child's needs is essential in order to create a tailored learning experience that will aid them in literacy progression.

Dr. Elizabeth Lanter from Radford University says parents and educations should promote literacy in children with ASD even before they develop the ability to speak as it can improve their verbal skills.

By engaging children in journaling, they are given the freedom to unleash their creativity while gaining necessary literacy skills through writing.

Anyone interested in getting involved in National Autism Awareness month can learn more at 
http://www.autism-society.org/ and http://iwrite.org/.