Literacy for Visual Learners: Teaching Children with Learning Differences to Read, Write, Communicate and Create

This book takes a fresh look at approaches to teaching reading, writing and communication skills. It presents a wealth of innovative ideas specifically designed to support visual learners, including those with autism spectrum conditions and special educational needs.

Some children are more responsive to visual stimulation than spoken words, and this book shows how to engage these children in literacy lessons by using strategies that cover everything from the latest assistive technology to getting creative on a limited budget. There are tips for sharing stories with children who find it hard to sit still, supporting reluctant writers, enabling the pre-verbal child to answer questions and helping the child who never stops talking to develop listening skills. The strategies are supported by practical resources, examples and case studies, to show how to instil in children the confidence to create and share their thoughts.

This is a must-have resource for special education teachers and coordinators, as well as speech and language therapists, looking for new strategies for teaching literacy.

Adele Devine is a Special Needs teacher at a school for young people with severe learning difficulties and autism. She has over a decade of experience teaching children on the autism spectrum and worked as an ABA home tutor before qualifying as a teacher in 2004. Adele has a regular two-page feature in Teach Early Years magazine and shares her knowledge of special education needs through 'A Special Blog' (www.senassist.com/blog). In 2010, she co-founded the multi-award winning SEN Assist autism software with her husband. They have three children and live in Surrey, UK.