Autism Adapted Novels

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I am a former teacher of students who have autism (all 3 school levels) as well as a parent of a 16yr old with autism. I am adapting and publishing classic novels/short stories targeted at students with autism who read on a 2nd/3rd grade level. Integreatity is the website and facebook InteGREATity. Tell your teachers.
These resources are wonderful for classrooms and homes. Last year my mother was looking for a book for my son to read which was targeted at a high schooler with autism......she found nothing. The discussion I would like to start is "what do your kids read?"

If you are looking for what an ASD child who reads at a 2nd or 3rd grade level would like to read, I can't help. My AS son reads above grade level.

2nd and 3rd grade themselves were a bit tough because he didn't have his reading fluency yet, and he had no patience for the material set to his actual reading level. He had me reading the full Harry Potter series to him at that age; his vocabulary and ability to use language was so great, he had no interest in anything simplified or dumbed down. So there was the reading he did that he had to so he could learn to read fluently on his own - and the material made no difference, he hated it all; and there was the reading we did for him, which he absolutely loved.

Which I don't think answers your question ... Sorry.

Thanks DW mom! Did your son enjoy books on tape (or) specifically your reading to him.

As an autistic person who always loved reading, I have to ask why you think that autistic people need special books catered towards them.

Mommy reading was first choice (I guess I'm good at it), but we have a wonderful books on tape (DVD) collection for in the car. Both kids (one AS, one NT) love those.

I remember the first ever book I was allowed to take out of the Library at school was all about Autumn. And I even remember sitting on my mothers knee while she read it to me.

Are you asking for novels written especially for kids with Autism? Or novels about kids with Autism?

Completely agree. There's not even a remote need to adapt stories and novels.

I think this is an attempt to advertise for your products.

Great question srriv345. When I taught high school, my students read on a 2nd or 3rd grade level. The books read by most kids in high school (To Kill A Mockingbird, Huck Finn, A Tale of Two Cities) could not be accessed by my students. Adapting these classic books gives access to those students who read at a much lower level.

To the other question I was asked: I am looking for books that people with autism read who are 12 and older and they read on a 2nd/3rd grade level at best.

What great questions: check out the integreatity site

I'm not sure simplifying the reading is the answer. If they have the vocabulary for the full version, then they won't enjoy the simplified version, and would do better accessing the story through media. If they don't have the vocabulary, than what are the odds they can understand the point of the story? Most of our kids seem to struggle with that, understanding the point and the subtle meanings that make the novel theoretically great, even when they have the reading ability, language, and IQ.

Rather than simplified language, what helped my son exceed age-level reading standards were graphic novels with the original language (Manga Shakespeare.) Visuals are important; the wording or word choices far less so.

Not sure which kids you are targeting for this project, it sounds more like it would be useful for kids with a cognitive disability rather than a communications disorder.

My daughter has always read below greade level but she is just in 3rd grade. I can't really tell you what she would like to read because there hasn't been a book to grab her and draw her in. Her issue is with being able to maintain understanding of the storyline so a simplification of the storyline would help. My daughter also gets a lot of her reading "cues" from pictures so more pictures which describe what is going on would help. She also has problems with dialogue bewteen characters. It is hard for her to discern who is talking to who which is an issue with pragmatics a lot of the time.

Have you tried the Warriors graphic novels? The main characters are cats so I think it is pretty applicable for both boys and girls. My 2nd grader really loves them. Also there are Nancy Drew and Hardy Boys graphic novels that he loves.

To the OP I was hoping you were going the other direction - providing more age appropriate content for advanced readers. My youndest DS in K is reading on a 2nd grade level so, as DW alluded to, it's tough finding the right combination of challenging his reading level with books that have appropriate content - he's not ready for Harry Potter yet though I think I am going to have to start reading those to my 2nd grader.

I wouldn't say there is no need for adapted books. I think though the needs will vary. What you are talking about targeting is a pretty limited category. I agree with other posters that you are really targeting a cognitively impaired group. if so, then you probably should target your books accordingly. Spectrum kids range in cognitive abilities.

My son is hyperlexic and also very socially/emotionally immature. We have issues with fiction books because they are too socially oriented and the ones that are at his reading level that are not excessively social tend to be too dark or mature or too abstractly imaginative. he really prefers colorful math and science books.

We have been giving him a lot of Captain Underpants because the subject matter is at the appropriate maturity level for him, there are pictures, and he thinks the misspellings are hilarious. Luckily,he is such a good speller that I don't have to worry about him thinking it is correct. He also likes Stink Moody books because they are silly and contains educational material which he likes as opposed to social stuff which he does not.

That said, If you really want to target classics for autistic children instead of just dumbing them down, I think you need to have copious annotations explaining why characters act as they do. For example if you were adapting Romeo and Juliet; have annotations that explain the family rivalries, in a very specific manner. Explain the how Romeo and Juliet act based on what they perceive to be the facts, differentiating it from what the facts really are. Explain why their emotional states lead them to behave how they do. Really get very specifically into the psychology so it moves past a Cliff Notes explanation. Throw in colorful illustrations etc. Literature is a good way for autistic people to learn about human nature and how groups behave. I think it really helped me growing up.

Thanks for all the great feedback. The books are targeted to those with moderate-severe cognitive disabilities but using visuals which are a "must" in my opinion for those with autism. If one googles adapted books autism....you find some different sites/teachers that talk about using these types of novels.

I failed to mention the books are for middle/high school age. Currently have Celebrated Jumping Frog, Huck Finn, Christmas Carol, and To Build A Fire

So, you're actually adapting books for kids with intellectual disabilities and not autism, per se, as the two are mostly unrelated...