Effective Language-Based Literacy Strategies for Individuals with

Effective Language-Based Literacy
Strategies for Individuals with
Autism Spectrum Disorders
By
Ellyn Lucas Arwood, Ed.D., CCC-SLP
[email protected]; University of Portland, Portland, Oregon
and
Carole Kaulitz, M.Ed., CCC-SLP
[email protected]; Vancouver, Washington
Participant’s 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 think…that 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 culture…not ASD
• Visual light and Visual light patterns=Visual Concepts
think in graphics….match what I do to what I see
others do…some exact matching but conceptual
• Visual movement and Visual movement=Shapes
only shapes without sounds is difficult in an
auditory culture…individuals 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, listening…must be able to
connect sound and sight (acoustic +visual
patterns)…sounds to letters
• Children with ASD are able to imitate sound
sometimes…imitate the speech (echolalia) or
word call for reading…does not show thinking
• Moving the hand forms shapes….moving the
mouth
shapes…moving
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 thinking…stories 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
• Speaking…movements of the mouth
• Listening…
Literacy is also viewing…
• Seeing another person’s thoughts…
• Seeing an event from another person’s
viewpoint…
• Seeing what another person is able to do…
• Seeing ideas that other’s 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 development…others 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
words…written 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