Abstract
The goal of this curriculum project is to present effective strategies to differentiate instruction to develop reading comprehension in emergent readers with autism. I designed a supplementary curriculum in reading comprehension for first grade students with autism, based on the Scott Foresman Reading Street program. In the literature review I address research that connects to reading comprehension and young readers with autism. I discuss the definition of autism, and how the disability has grown recently. I also discuss reading comprehension for typical emergent readers, along with emergent readers with autism. Finally, I discuss differentiated instruction, and how to differentiate for students with autism. I created 15 supplemental lesson plans that contain strategies to help students with autism for 15 stories that are included in this basal reading program. The lesson plans align with both the Common Core Standards and the New York State English Language Arts standards.
