Alternative Reading Options for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Recently I began reading Seeing the Spectrum: Teaching English Language Arts to Adolescents with Autism, by Robert Rozema, and was shocked by my lack of knowledge about Autism Spectrum Disorder, or ASD. According to Rozema, the autism ‘spectrum’ is actually “a cluster of associated conditions related to the two core diagnostic criteria”, which are “social communication challenges and restricted, repetitive behaviors” (4). In the beginning of the book, Rozema describes one student with autism’s reaction to reading literature with “sad and scary” (14) themes, including violence and the deaths of animals. One challenge that some people with autism face is emotional disregulation, or “an impoverished ability to cope with and control intense, especially negative, emotions” (15), including the student in Rozema’s study.

This presents an issue for English teachers specifically, as most if not all works of literature explore “sad and scary” things. So what is the solution? We need our students to learn, but we must also make accommodations for students who learn in different ways. Rozema presents possible solutions, such as working to “minimize anxiety and prevent negative behaviors by selecting materials carefully and by teaching coping strategies to help autistic students… manage their emotions” (18). These alternative texts can be informational, or graphic novels, which are “a frequently cited interest of autistic individuals” (19).

So I decided to make a list of possible alternatives for texts that are commonly taught in 6th-8th grade, to scaffold the reading options of students with ASD and give them options for reading. I compiled a list of books that can replace these frequently taught texts, including Nonfiction and graphic novels that may be easier to read for some students.

Middle school reading and possible alternatives:

• The Boy in the Striped Pajamas, by John Boyne -This novel explores the life of a 9 year-old boy during the Holocaust. -Nonfiction alternatives: A History of the Holocaust by Rita Steinhardt Botwinick, or World War 2, by Aaron

• The Absolutely True Diary of a Part Time Indian by Sherman Alexie -Alexie tells the story of a Native American teenage on the Spokane Indian Reservation. -Nonfiction alternative: Ojibwa Warrior: Dennis Banks and the Rise of the American Indian Movement by Dennis Banks
• To Kill a Mockingbird, by Harper Lee -This book deals with racial inequality and prejudice in the South during the Great Depression. -Nonfiction alternative: What was the Great Depression by Janet B. Pascal
• Night by Elie Wiesel -This book describes the author’s experiences in Nazi concentration camps during the Holocaust. -Graphic novel alternative: Maus by Art Spiegelman
• Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck -This novel describes the lives of two migrant workers during the Great Depression. -Nonfiction alternative: Industrialization Through the Great Depression by Cindy Barden and Maria Backus

Other educational graphic novels:

• They Called Us Enemy, by George Takei, Justin Eisinger, and Steven Scott -This book is about Japanese internment camps during World War II.
• Persepolis, by Marjane Satrapi -This book is an autobiography about the author’s life growing up in Iran during the Islamic Revolution.
• The Time Museum, by Matthew Loux -This book is about a group of kids and their adventures through different time periods.
• Ancient Egypt: Tales of Gods and Pharaohs, by Marcia Williams -This book is a historically accurate retelling of different ancient Egyptian myths.
• The Odyssey, by Gareth Hinds. -This is the graphic novel version of Homer’s epic poem

Works Cited:

Rozema, Robert. Seeing the Spectrum: Teaching English Language Arts to Adolescents with Autism. Teachers College Press, 2018.

STEAM Powered Family. “Educational Graphic Novels to Inspire Learning.” STEAM Powered Family, 6 Nov. 2017, https://www.steampoweredfamily.com/education/educational-graphic-novels/.

WeAreTeachers Staff on August 15, 2019 .contest-social .share-links svg. “34 Great Books to Teach in Middle School.” WeAreTeachers, 12 Sept. 2019, https://www.weareteachers.com/best-middle-school-books/.