Designing a Multi-Component Emergent-Literacy Intervention Program for Children With Autism

Emergent literacy skills play an important role in the literacy development of young children. These include code-related skills, such as alphabet knowledge, emergent writing, phonological awareness, and meaning-related skills, such as verbal abilities, story retelling, and text comprehension. Such skills emerge gradually throughout childhood, following interactions with the environment and literary activities. However, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often encounter challenges that hinder the development of these abilities. This article presents a multi-component intervention program, designed to enhance emergent literacy development of young children with ASD, in self-contained or inclusive educational settings (preschools, kindergarten, or early-elementary schools).