Most writers love to read. After all, reading was what prompted us to want to be writers – we had read something we enjoyed so much that we decided to try our hand at it. Reading can evoke deep emotion and provide a wonderful escape. One of my favorite quotes (by Virginia Woolf) concerns the love of reading:

“I have sometimes dreamt that when the day of judgment dawns . . . the Almighty will turn to Peter and will say . . . when He sees us coming with our books under our arms, ‘Look, these need no reward. We have nothing to give them. They have loved reading.'”

And so I was understandably ecstatic when my son, diagnosed with autism at age three, began reading six months later. I soon learned that it was called hyperlexia and that supposedly he did not comprehend what he read. But a lot of it he did comprehend. He started off by putting his wooden letter blocks together to form words (“w-o-l-f” when he wanted to watch Disney’s Peter and the Wolf) and “w-a-l-m-a-r-t” when a trip to Wal-Mart was mentioned). He would read the words printed on his PECS cue cards and respond accordingly. Then he progressed to reading words that his teachers, therapists, and I would write for him when PECS was not enough (“First finish work. Then play outside,” and “First dinner. Then more Lion King.”) Soon I noticed him reading Dr. Seuss and Disney books on the couch, and he was reading in his mind because I saw his eyes move across the pages. He was four. By the time he was six years old he was tested to be reading at fifth grade level, yet his speech was still largely echolalic.

I was just glad he was reading. Now, Nigel reads National Geographic issues cover to cover. (I walked into my office one night to find him with several issues spread out all over the floor and asked what he was doing. His response: “I’m just hanging out reading Nat Geos.” I love how he came up with the abbreviation himself.) He reads truckloads of books on science, history, wars, different cultures, natural disasters – many types of non-fiction. Alas, very little fiction, which is my favorite.

The only fiction Nigel will read is a book that’s been turned into a movie (like Jumanji or The Secret of NIMH). He did read The Cricket in Times Square (if there’s a movie of that, he hasn’t seen it), but it had animals in it, and he loves animals. He wishes they could talk. (And clean out their own litter boxes.)

I wrote this post because I had noticed several incoming searches for “reading and autistic teens.”  What do they like to read? The bottom line is that it depends on the teen’s cognitive level and their individual interests. Some still like to read the books they read as young children for the comfort and familiarity they offer. Many autistic teens like books about animals, fiction or non-fiction. Some, like Nigel, love history, geography, and movies. Some might be more inclined towards math and computers. Some might even like to read instruction manuals or the backs of cereal boxes. If they’re reading, it’s all good.