Effective Language-Based Literacy

Strategies for Individuals with

Autism Spectrum Disorders
By
Ellyn Lucas Arwood, Ed.D., CCC-SLP
arwood@up.edu; University of Portland, Portland, Oregon

and
Carole Kaulitz, M.Ed., CCC-SLP
ckaulitz@gmail.com; Vancouver, Washington

Participants Handout
This is meant to serve as a handout
Participants are welcome to copy these slides as
all diagrams are referenced
Feel free to change the format to more slides per
page so you may take notes
Presentation will be augmented with numerous
clips as well as examples of individuals works
that may not be copied
We have limited the color on the handout for
ease of copying.

Literacy
Defined by J.D.Cooper and others as thinking, viewing,
listening, speaking, reading, writing, and calculating
Must consider how children with ASD thinkthat is,
how do they learn to think in language, develop
language, and use language for viewing, listening,
speaking, reading, writing, and calculating

The Neuro-Semantic Learning System

Language

Arwood, E. 2011

Sensory input
Eyes
Ears
Nose

Perceptual Patterns
Combined
Sensory
Input
Recognized

Mouth
Skin

Arwood, 1983; DaMasio,

1986; Bookheimer, 2004

Concepts

Arwood, 1991;
Arwood, 2010

Neuro-Semantic Language Learning Theory

Four levels of meaningful learning
sensory input (eyes, ears)
perceptual patterns (acoustic, visual,
movement/motor)
concepts (auditory, visual)
language (auditory like English;
visual like Chinese)

Arwood, E. & Kaulitz, C. (2007). Learning with a Visual Brain in an Auditory World: Visual Language Strategies for Individuals with
Autism Spectrum Disorders. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC.

Neurotypical learners
Acoustic and visual patterns to form auditory
concepts.think in sound of my voice (15%)
Visual (light and shape) and visual patterns
(light and shape) to form visual
concepts.think in graphics of my ideas (85%)

Arwood, E. & Kaulitz, C. (2007). Learning with a Visual Brain in an Auditory World: Visual Language Strategies for Individuals
with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC.

What are the neuro-semantic choices for

thinking and learning?
Acoustic and Acoustic patterns Concepts
echolalic or imitation only
Acoustic and Visual Patterns= Auditory Concepts
I see and hear.lecture, auditory culturenot ASD
Visual light and Visual light patterns=Visual Concepts
think in graphics.match what I do to what I see
others dosome exact matching but conceptual
Visual movement and Visual movement=Shapes
only shapes without sounds is difficult in an
auditory cultureindividuals with ASD

Thinking in Shapes
Does not match the way we typically teach
children to be literate
English is sound-based, alphabetic language;
so we use sounds to make words for speech,
reading, writing, listeningmust be able to
connect sound and sight (acoustic +visual
patterns)sounds to letters
Children with ASD are able to imitate sound
sometimesimitate the speech (echolalia) or
word call for readingdoes not show thinking

 Moving the hand forms shapes.moving the

mouth
shapesmoving
space forms
How
do forms
individuals
with ASDin learn
concepts?
shapes
Create concepts with movement to create shape
patterns (puzzle forms)
Create mental shapes think in shapes (puzzle
patterns, movement of the hand, movement of
the mouth)
Learn to be literate through shapes
Individuals with ASD learn concepts best through shapes
Arwood, E. & Kaulitz, C. (2007). Learning with a Visual Brain in an Auditory World: Visual Language Strategies for
Individuals with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Shawnee Mission, KS: AAPC

Learning to be literate
Use knowledge of visual languages like Chinese
and ASL to create strategies for teaching children
with ASD to be literate through shapes of visual
thoughts
These strategies are called Viconic Language
Methods or VLMs
(Arwood, 2011)

Language is tool for literacy

Apply what we know about English to thinking in a
visual way (concepts are in visual graphic form)
Methods are visual in thinking or concepts imposed
onto a what we know about English being a soundbased language
Viconic Language Methods
Arwood, E. (2011) Language function: An introduction to
pragmatic assessment and intervention for higher
order thinking and better literacy. UK: JKP.

Drawing the shapes of ideas

Pictures
Cartoons
Hand-over-hand drawing
Drawing the shapes of words with picture
dictionaries
Drawing the shapes of ideas through writing
Drawing with oral cartooning

Hand-over-hand to create shapes

Effective drawing
Must be able to assess cognitive level
Must be able to assess social level
Must be able to assess language level

Language represents cognition

our thinking
Linguistic
Function
Language Function

Pre-Language Function

Arwood, E. (2011) Language Function

The child with pre-language function thinks about self

put the child in the picture

Sensori-motor to pre-operational,
pre-language function

Arwood, E. & Kaulitz, C. (2007) Learning with a visual brain in an auditory world

Event-based Pictures
Create context
Keep concepts relational (agents, actions,
objects)
Expand semantics (who, what, where, when,
why, how)
Language-based thinkingstories in graphics
Arwood, E. APRICOT I pictures. APRICOT, Inc. Portland, OR.

Relational language is because language

When I see you raise your skirt over your head, I
think that you do not know that I can see your tights
and underpants; so for me to not see your tights and
underpants, I need to see you keep your skirt down
when you are in the classroom

But or so.
But, when you go to the bathroom, you can raise
your skirt; when you go to change your clothes, you
can raise your skirt; when you are in your own space
with no one else in your space, you can raise your
skirt.

Arwood & Kaulitz (2007). Oral cartoon; Mabel Mini-Lecture (VLMs)

Cartoon and write

Drawing for concepts
Writing for patterns
Writing and adding concepts forms language

Literacy
Thinking in shapes
Reading shapes with mental pictures
Writing shapes as patterns to match with
visual mental graphics
Speakingmovements of the mouth
Listening

Literacy is also viewing

Seeing another persons thoughts
Seeing an event from another persons
viewpoint
Seeing what another person is able to do
Seeing ideas that others know or think
about

Write to access shapes of ideas

Time is auditory function

Thinking in shapes is relational
Thinking in shapes is contextual
Thinking in shapes is spatial.

Not all visuals are the same

We typically think of visuals as something that

can be seen by people and that are used for
education or learning; but, not all pictures
work the same way.
Developmental levels different; so is function
Arwood,E., Kaulitz,C., & Brown,M. (2009). The Language of Pictures. Shawnee
Mission, KS: Autism Asperger Publishing Company (AAPC)

The first two attempts lacked context and

therefore too auditory and too high in
language developmentothers are drawing
He did not change social behavior.dropped
level by putting him in the picture and
drew him in multiple pictures with cartoons to
create overlapping relationships or context;
added the writing created relational ideas.
This way he can see himself and can
see the meaning of the shapes of
wordswritten or spoken.

References..
Arwood, E. (2011). Language function: an introduction to pragmatic
assessment and intervention for higher order thinking and better literacy.
UK: Jessica Kingsley Publishers.
Arwood, E. & Kaulitz, C. (2007) Learning with a visual brain in an auditory
world: visual language strategies for individuals with autism spectrum
disorders . Shawnee Mission, KS: Autism Asperger Publishing Company.
Arwood, E. , Kaulitz, C. Brown, M. (2009)Visual thinking strategies for
individuals with autism spectrum disorders:the language of pictures.
Shawnee Mission, KS: Autism Asperger Publishing Company.
Each book contains references related to the VLM strategies
Additional references: www.spiritone.com/~apricot