Shared Reading Enhances Social Communication in Children with Autism
- Benjamin Glasman
- Sep 5, 2024
- 3 min read
For children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), social communication challenges can make it difficult to connect with others, but recent research reveals a powerful tool that can help: shared reading.
A 2019 study, "Using Shared Reading to Promote Social Communication in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder", found that shared reading activities can significantly enhance social communication skills in children with ASD. This discovery has implications not only for educators and therapists but also for parents who want to use reading time as a way to improve their child’s communication abilities.
What the Research Uncovered
The 2019 study focused on how shared reading—a simple, everyday activity—can lead to profound improvements in social communication for children with autism. Here’s what they found:
Increased Engagement: Children with autism who participated in shared reading sessions showed increased engagement with both the story and the person reading to them. This helped create opportunities for social interaction in a structured and manageable way.
Improved Eye Contact and Turn-Taking: The study also noted improvements in eye contact and the ability to take turns during the reading session. These are critical elements of social communication that many children with ASD struggle with.
Enhanced Joint Attention: Joint attention—the ability to share focus on an object or activity—is a key developmental skill for children. Shared reading helped children with autism develop this ability by encouraging them to focus on both the book and the reader.
Why Shared Reading Works for Children with Autism
Shared reading is more than just storytelling; it’s a dynamic interaction that can stimulate social communication in multiple ways. Here’s why it works particularly well for children with autism:
Structured Interaction: For children with ASD, the structure of a shared reading session provides a predictable, low-pressure environment for social interaction. The set routine of reading helps them feel more comfortable, making it easier to engage with others.
Language and Social Skills Together: Shared reading allows children to practice both language skills (e.g., vocabulary, comprehension) and social skills (e.g., eye contact, turn-taking). This dual benefit makes it a powerful tool for holistic development.
Encourages Non-Verbal Communication: Many children with autism rely heavily on non-verbal communication. During shared reading, they can point to pictures, show emotions through facial expressions, and use gestures to communicate—building key communication skills without needing to rely on speech alone.
How You Can Use Shared Reading to Support Your Child
At Kids Celebrate Inc., we’re passionate about turning research like this into practical strategies for families. Here’s how you can use shared reading at home to support your child’s social communication development:
Choose Books with Clear Visuals: Books with bold, simple illustrations can help maintain your child’s focus and encourage them to engage with the story. Pointing to the pictures and asking your child questions about them is a great way to build joint attention.
Pause for Interaction: During shared reading, pause frequently to give your child time to comment or respond in their own way. You can ask open-ended questions or make observations about the story, giving your child opportunities to practice turn-taking and joint attention.
Repetition is Key: Reading the same book multiple times can be beneficial for children with ASD. Familiarity helps them feel more comfortable and allows them to focus on social aspects of the interaction rather than trying to keep up with new content.
Key Takeaways
Shared reading can improve social communication: This study shows that shared reading offers structured opportunities for children with autism to practice social engagement, turn-taking, and joint attention.
It’s an accessible, powerful tool: Families can use shared reading to support both language development and social communication in everyday settings.
Tailored activities can boost engagement: By choosing the right books and incorporating pauses for interaction, shared reading becomes a way to actively promote social growth.
Incorporating shared reading into your family’s routine can make a world of difference in your child’s social development. Our new book, designed to support children with autism, is now available on our website and will be released on Amazon on November 13th—the perfect tool to engage your child in meaningful, developmental reading activities.
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