I have two children. They both have Autism Spectrum Disorder. My oldest child is fully verbal. It wasn't clear until she was around first grade that non-echolalic, voluntary speech would be something she could be capable of. She is now a reader, and reading is one of her joys, and a preferred activity. My youngest child is mostly non-verbal, and his communication is echolalic. Reading is something we are developing with him.
Functional, basic literacy is a dream I have for my son. When I watch my daughter reading while she is walking, just like I walked and read growing up, it makes me inexpressibly proud. It'd be good seeing more people talk about having universal literacy as a goal with results. Let's talk about it, in as much detail and with as many facts as we can. Getting together and chatting is where everything starts.
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