ASD Reading . . . A T. O. S. Review

I have reviewed the original Reading Kingdom Online before, as you can see here. However, this time I have been fortunate enough to be given a newer program from the company Reading Kingdom! I have one child at least, who is on the autism spectrum, and one who may be, but who is not diagnosed, and both are struggling readers. So, we have been among the lucky crew members who were given ASD Reading, which is a new, online reading program for children who are on the Autism Spectrum.

ASD Reading is an online program which teaches students with ASD to read, write, and to comprehend. This is done in a fun and colorful way, so that the child (hopefully!) will not become bored.

ASD Reading uses unique methods that I have not seen in other programs. All children can use this, even if they are non-verbal. There is extensive use of graphics, audio and animation  to reinforce everything the child is learning. Written and spoken language are linked, so that one mirrors and reinforces the other. This program customizes instruction that adapts to each child’s specific skills and needs. Finally, It tests the child’s skills, and overcomes error patterns and difficulties.

This is a groundbreaking reading program for children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). It  was adapted from the award-winning and patented “6-SIM” Six Skill Integrated Method for teaching reading & writing with comprehension, done by Dr. Marion Blank.  ASD Reading holds the key to opening up the world of literacy to children with ASD – even when they are non-verbal. To learn more about why these methods work so well, please read about it here.

In our case, I was given a one year subscription for up to two students, so I chose to use ASD Reading with our twins, “Mr. Loquacious” and “The Puzzler.”

I knew upfront that this was going to be a hard sell when it came to “Mr. Loquacious,” and I was absolutely correct on that. And it still is, so even though you all know I prefer if possible that learning be fun, sometimes, like now, I find myself saying “suck it up, buttercup, sometimes we just have to do stuff we don’t want to do.” This has become one of those times, with “Mr. Loquacious.” Just as an FYI, this is not the fault of ASD Reading. Not at all. It is because “Mr. Loquacious” would rather do just about anything other than learn to read. He came to us at age 8 not knowing how to read or spell anything but his name, and has, because of other issues, has not gotten as far as he would like. So now, it embarrasses him, and he doesn’t want to try.

“The Puzzler,” on the other hand, has been thriving! He zipped right through the assessments, and even when the animated dinosaur tells him he can be done for the day, he often wants to keep right on going! Of course, this is making me VERY happy, because (as I said above, and have said so many times before,) if it is at all possible, I think learning SHOULD be fun, so that children (and adults!) will want to continue to learn for their entire lives.

In My opinion, one of the best things about ASD Reading is that fairly soon, “Mr. Puzzler” began using the program totally on his own, with no need for me to supervise at all. Anytime I want to, I can log into my account, and I will see a report which shows me exactly where he is in the program, and how he is doing. A progress report is regularly emailed to me, and if he needs help, the program will let me know that, as well.

I am definitely going to recommend ASD Reading to anyone who even THINKS their child is on the Autism Spectrum. Thus far, it is serving us quite well! 🙂

To find out what other crew members think, please click the graphic below:

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