ASD Reading reviews & testimonials

Dr. Bradley Peterson, Director, Institute for the Developing Mind, Keck School of Medicine, USC

ASD Reading has transformed the teaching of reading... The program is absolutely outstanding -- not simply in teaching reading, but also in enabling children to master and expand their knowledge of English. It does so by steadily integrating spoken and written language. No other program with which I’m familiar is comparable in teaching these vital skills. I believe that central to the program's success is: (i) its steady integration of spoken and written language, and (ii) its unique incorporation of "immediate interactive feedback." Research has shown that this type of feedback is critically important to engaging the student and thereby to enhancing effective learning. It regularly provides an immediate response to what the student does, and it offers clear, simple direction to overcome any errors that occur.

Catherine Smith, Teacher

ASD Reading is a daily necessity in my special education classroom. Using this incredibly effective program I am able to remediate the full range of reading skills including: sequencing, letter sound identification, and blending as well as spelling and writing. It represents a major evolution in the teaching of reading and writing.

Joe Kennedy, Teacher

I've tried multiple literacy programs and this is the only one that works. It's very simple.

Colleen Dillon, Parent

ASD Reading is the answer to my prayers. As a homeschooler, I was desperate and determined to find materials to help my son read and comprehend better. In very little time my son became a strong confident reader.

Alberta Tabak, Teacher

Children learn to read very quickly using ASD Reading. This program really works.

Arlene Maidman, Parent

ASD Reading had a tremendous impact on our daughter, Julia's, language. Julia is autistic and the program readily engages her. It’s amazing how a system dealing with the complexities of language can be so simple for children to follow!

Kathy Troyer, Parent

Within a matter of months of starting my son on the program, his reading skills improved dramatically and he became a confident and successful student.

Tim Tinkel, Parent

So, why should the fact that my son Jacob is reading be such big news? Well, Jacob is our nine year old developmentally delayed child who is also on the autism spectrum. As much as we have tried, he hasn't mastered reading. Really not even the easiest words. He can't decode the letters and words that are required for reading. It has just never clicked. We have tried various methods and curriculum, but it just has not worked. What we think he has mastered one day he totally forgets the next day. It's as if he had never seen it before.To tell you the truth, I was a little skeptical of ASD Reading (Autism Spectrum Disorder Reading) from ASD Reading. Jacob had tried other online reading programs and nothing had worked so far. However, I was willing to try anything at that point. Almost immediately we got started and, to my great pleasure, Jacob absolutely loved it.He has begun doing two or three lessons a day, so he whizzed through the words for book one and, to my amazement, read the first book aloud to me with hardly a mistake! He had never done that before! I knew that we had found the answer to his reading problems. ASD Reading! Jacob likes the program because of the clever and well done animation and because of the reward factor (you also earn points and, after you have accumulated so many points you are rewarded with a page in your passport). I love ASD Reading for other reasons, though. Of course I like it because it has been our answer to Jacob learning how to read, but it is the process that they use that I really like. You see, ASD Reading has a built in program that monitors how well a child is doing and if a child needs more help in a particular area. If a child is catching on quickly then the program might move him along a little faster. If a child needs help in something then the built in program might review a section automatically or give him more help in a specific area. I also like the fact that I get periodic progress reports and can go to the ASD Reading program myself to see how he is doing. Everything is done online using secure passwords. I think I love it as much as Jacob!Something that is very unique about this program is that it was developed specifically for autism spectrum children. And, that is for all autism spectrum children even if they are non-verbal. I am a believer in this program and am very impressed with it. If you have a child anywhere on the spectrum I would encourage you to check it out.This is one of those "WOW reviews. I only give a review a "WOW if it is extra special and made an impact on my children. ASD Reading by ASD Reading fits that requirement. It is definitely a "WOW review.

Lori Moffit, Parent

My son has been thriving! He zipped right through the assessments, and even when the animated dinosaur tells him he can be done for the day, he often wants to keep right on going! Of course, this is making me VERY happy, because if it is at all possible, I think learning SHOULD be fun, so that children will want to continue to learn for their entire lives.In my opinion, one of the best things about ASD Reading is that fairly soon, my son began using the program totally on his own, with no need for me to supervise at all. Anytime I want to, I can log into my account, and I will see a report which shows me exactly where he is in the program, and how he is doing. A progress report is regularly emailed to me, and if he needs help, the program will let me know that, as well. I am definitely going to recommend ASD Reading to anyone who even THINKS their child is on the Autism Spectrum.

Wendi Rogers, Parent

The sessions are fun, colorful and interactive. I had no problems with my daughter understanding the directions for any of the activities. She never once asked me to explain something. What she did ask me was€¦Can I please play the dinosaur game? Which is what she refers to the ASD Reading program as.Each session seemed to only take about 15 minutes, we have yet to have a day when my daughter only wants to do one session. She typically completes 3-4 sessions.I really adore this program. This was perfect for what I needed right now as that extra boost to my daughter's progress in reading and other language arts. Again my daughter, did not need any help from me on this program, not even logging in. She has needed help using other computer games and iPad games.Do I Recommend This Program? An astounding YES!!! Anyone with a reader who is struggling should sign up and check it out!

Andrew Walling, Parent

ASD Reading has transformed our relationship with our daughter, Kate. Its reading and writing programs helped her develop critical communication and problem solving skills. Now Kate reads and spells at or above grade level and we can €˜talk' with her about her interests and feelings via writing. It has allowed us to recognize her true potential.

Kathy Broad, Parent

My son Rory loves ASD Reading. It is the only online educational program that he actually wants to use! He finds the format easy to follow and gets a sense of achievement by completing the exercises. Although Rory has always loved books, he struggled with comprehension. ASD Reading has helped him to comprehend what he reads.

Renee Knoblauch, Parent

ASD Reading is for children ages 4 thru 15 that are on the Autism Spectrum. Having a 15 year old daughter on the Autism Spectrum that struggles in many areas I was intrigued by this program. ASD Reading can be used with kids who are non-verbal or verbal. You can use ASD Reading if your child doesn’t have any reading skills, and those who don’t even know their letters. The only requirement is that they need to be able to sit down for a bit to work on the computer or tablet. ASD Reading is going to teach reading, writing, and phonics with the ability to decode words. Grammar and comprehension also is taught in the program. The program is a good balance for children on the spectrum. I found that it wasn’t too distracting and yet it had enough of visuals to keep my daughter interested in the program. The pace seemed just right for my daughter. I have an older daughter who has recently recognized that some programs are extremely “babyish”, as she puts it. This one isn’t so bad according to my daughter. Overall, I think the lessons are engaging for my daughter. She thought that the lessons are fun. She likes that they don’t have too much going on in sound or graphics. She doesn’t get distracted using ASD Reading. It really showed me where my daughter is academically in several areas. This has changed a few of my plans for the coming year with her for school. Very helpful!

Cristina Sperber, Parent

From the time he was in preschool, our child, Brian, craved the ability to read, but we were not sure how to teach him. ASD Reading showed us the way. Now Brian reads proficiently and prolifically-with full understanding. It has done wonders for his confidence in all areas of his life.

Jennifer Anderson, Parent

Dear ASD Reading,

We are excited that Asher was able to complete this program.

I like that the program was engaging to my son. He definitely liked it, and he misses doing it now that he has finished. I love that it is geared for non-speaking kids with autism. It is the first really helpful program that we found for our non-speaking son. I also like all of the helpful videos and information that is available on the site. I like that I can tell people that they can find information there about the program and the "why of it before subscribing. And I'm so glad for the free 30-day trial too!

My son really liked the program. He typically did one lesson a day, but he almost always wanted to do it and now that we have finished he keeps requesting it.

My son has been helped so much by this program. He is clearly reading and is able to transfer that skill to other things now, like reading directions for a game or toy and following them. When he had learned his alphabet and was ready to learn to read, none of his teachers at school had an effective way to teach him. I was astounded that the educators we were relying upon did not know how to help. He went from no effective reading instruction to a very effective and helpful program. He was able to move steadily through this program and show us his ability to learn, which had not happened before in any other program.

I recommend this program whenever the opportunity comes up. I wish that more people working in the autism world knew about this life-changing program!

Sincerely,


Jennifer Anderson

Judith Pratt, Parent

Jay Cowan, Teacher

ASD Reading provides a very systematic and comprehensive approach to the teaching of reading, and it's a very easy program for the children to follow.

Susan A. Rose, Ph.D. Professor Of Pediatrics And Psychiatry, Albert Einstein College Of Medicine

ASD Reading is a innovative system will be of enormous use to the millions of parents who dream of reading success for their children.

Crystal Cook, Parent

I just can't say enough good things about this program! My son loves it. I mean, he loves it. About 20 minutes or so after his father heads for work, he's waking me up. "Mama, can I go do my reading lesson? Yes. He literally does his reading lesson first thing in the morning. Before breakfast even. He adores this program!He likes the game aspect of it. A happy dinosaur shows up to encourage him or tell him he's done with his session for the day. There are cute little characters that pop up, and even if he's wrong, he doesn't feel like he's done some kind of awful mistake. He just tries again. There is no frustration over being wrong, no struggling to remember a certain sound before he can do anything else.This works. It just plain works. It's a wonderful program that he adores, that is something he looks forward to, and that is teaching him. I am utterly amazed at just how effective this program is.

Emilee Roberts, Parent

ASD Reading is ideal for children that are anywhere on the Autism Spectrum including both non-verbal and verbal. It is specifically designed for children that are not yet reading or struggling in learning to read as well as those that decode well but have problems with comprehension. The ideal ages are 4-10 though I believe certainly a child over age 10 that is still struggling to learn to read would benefit from it as well.ASD Reading is web based, so there is nothing to download to your computer, and your child's progress is always saved. No matter where you are, your child can hop on a computer connected to the internet and pick up right where they left off. This is also great if you have multiple computers in the home and the children use both like ours do.Our son is definitely benefiting from the unique style of teaching. Plus he really enjoys ASD Reading which means I don't have to convince him he needs to do it regularly because he wants to do it!

Tere Scott, Parent

What a fun way to learn reading and writing skills, all online and with very little to no need for teacher intervention. The sessions of lessons are fun, colorful, easy-to-understand, and interactive. I really liked how easy this was to use. The practice tests emphasize how important it is to sit with your child during testing but not to offer any help with answering the questions. My child has experience with online learning and using many different electronic devices, so she required no help whatsoever from me once the program was logged into. Another aspect I loved is how it builds on itself yet keeps the repetition of style, so the child isn't in for some shock when they move to the next level of learning. It slowly adds in commas, and question marks and other punctuation as the child proceeds through each lesson but uses the same cartoon characters, fill-in-the-blanks, find the words, etc. so the child knows exactly what to do. If they get it wrong, I appreciated that it instructed what to do with several hints and didn't frustrate the child by counting it wrong.

Laurie Messer, Parent

One of the wonderful things about this reading program is the clear instructions given along the way. My son was able to use ASD Reading without my help. Also, I loved the encouraging sounds and phrases spoken that were very motivating for my son. The lessons have colorful pictures that are fun and engaging. It keeps his attention which can be hard to do.Overall, I am very happy with ASD Reading! I appreciate the progress reports I receive in my email that let me know if my son needs my attention for anything he's struggling with. There is also the dashboard where I can go anytime to get an update on my son's progress within the program and how he is doing. If you have a child on the Autism Spectrum Disorder, I highly recommend taking a look at ASD Reading. 

Kerry Smith, Parent

"ASD Reading is an online reading site that is meant to assist children with Autism Spectrum Disorder with learning to read. The program is meant for kids 4-10 that are the spectrum. This program so well thought out I was impressed from the minute we started€¦My daughter told me she loved the program. She said it is fun, but it is also a great way to get ready for the upcoming school year. She plans to keep practicing with it daily.So as a Mom, this is my thoughts. I love that she loves it. That is most important. If she does not like something it is such a chore and a hassle to do or get anything done. So that is a huge win for me.It is so logical. The way the steps and lessons are laid out is great. Some of it is stuff I never would have thought to teach or address.  The simple directional arrow of selecting letters left to right. I guess I just take things like that for granted and do not think my child needed instruction on that.The characters are cute as well as the website design. It is engaging without being distracting. My daughter has pet named the dinosaur "Readasaurus .I LOVE this program, I highly recommend it if your child has any need for a safe and comfortable learning experience.

Roxanne Raiche, Parent

ASD Reading is an online reading program for children living with an Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). The layout of this program is perfect for my struggling reader since he doesn’t have to read to access his lessons. One of my favorite elements of this program is the option to download student progress reports at any time or have them emailed to me weekly. I love that he can work independently on this at any time. I have seen his confidence in reading, writing, spelling, and computer skills grow tremendously since beginning ASD Reading.

Amy Marohl, Parent

"ASD reading is a program you can use on your computer to help your children learn to read. You don't have to have another program before you start this or know your ABCs or letter sounds, all children, even non-verbal, can use it. It has a nice guide to help you teach the mouse and keypad to your children.  Mason was confused at first, because on the computer screen, the letters were in lower case but on our keypad they are capital letters only. With his eye problems that he needs glasses for, he had a difficult time looking all the way down at the keyboard and back up at the screen and then back down to double-check, even with the time turned as high as 200%, it's just too hard for him because of his eye trouble. We found a happy medium with having the keypad on the screen and having him use the mouse to click the letter rather than try to look down at his fingers to find the right key. It is really nice that this program has been made to adjust to the needs of your child. I was surprised when I was reading a story in the evening and Mason pointed to the word "some and said it correctly.  He has a lot to learn but how exciting that he is starting to know them. Miranda is an animal lover and she enjoyed the cute graphics of fish, birds, and more.  In the picture below, when she was learning, the program would put a bird on the boy and say "bird , showing the word below, then add more and say "some more birds . I love that the graphics help to explain the meaning of the words right before their very eyes. When I was reading a story to her one evening, and I had to pause to answer another child's question, she found the word, "bird on the page and pointed it out to me. I was surprised and pleased that she now recognizes this word!I do think this program is "the answer to our reading struggles. It is really a great program. I think it teaches in the way that Mason and Miranda need to learn from.

Anitra Elmore, Teacher

ASD Reading addresses the deficiencies seen in phonics and the whole language approach to reading...I highly recommend it.

Brenda Prince, Parent

Due to his Autism, one thing Garrett has always struggled with is reading. Originally, we weren't sure if he would ever be able to read due to his ASD but over the years he has worked hard and does read. However, he 's still not at the level of reading that I think he could be at, even with his diagnosis.We've been working hard on reading with the kids, mostly focusing on phonics. But let's admit it, when it comes to phonics, English is confusing for kids. Why is BIND pronounced B-EYE-ND but WIND is pronounced WAHY-ND and how do we explain to them when these changes in vowel sounds occur? We try to teach them to sound out words but this only works if the word follows the set rules and can be sounded out. Many words just don't follow the norm. ASD Reading is a browser-based reading that understands that phonics and sounding out words will work only with limited success. ASD Reading requires no prerequisite skills - even those who are nonverbal can use the program and provides customized instructions that adapt to your child's skills to read, write and comprehend the written language…. this program seems like a great addition to any reading curriculum for autistic students. The confidence that Garrett has achieved in word recognition has really become apparent as he progresses through the program as well as in his classwork when he has to read aloud with our other curriculum.

Missica Pullen, Parent

We have recently been able to review an innovative online reading program designed to help autistic students learn to read and write. ASD Reading is ideal for children aged 4-15 to teach them to read and write to a 3rd grade level (750 Lexile).The program is easy to set up, and easy to log in. I really like that aspect. The idea is to use this program at least 4 days a week, 1-2 sessions a day, for maximum benefit. It is not recommended to over exert the use of the program, otherwise the child may not retain what they need to retain. If the parent needs to provide elbow support for the typing portions, that's totally OK and even encouraged.The program features a LOT of repeated sounds and words. For example, your child will spend all of their time in one book learning the words swim and swims. They will do a variety of activities such as typing the words, choosing the words, and even clicking on words to form a sentence using one of these words. This is really great since many children on the spectrum have difficulty distinguishing like sounds. Swims and Swim could sound the same to them, or even look the same if attention to detail is an issue.Through the lessons, your child will also learn language arts skills as well as keyboarding skills. I was pleasantly surprised by the level of the keyboarding skills, and how much that really helped Mr. B!It's also very easy for Mr. B to navigate on his own. I help him log in, and then I'm able to get a few other things finished while he works on this. This would be great for students who are developing their task completion without redirection skills. It's pretty straight forward. And once you are in your lesson session, there's no other deviations to be made.Overall, this is a really great tool for kids on the spectrum. I'd highly recommend this to others who have autistic children in search of an online reading program!          

Renita Kuehner, Parent

After the initial test, Caty was fine.  She loves earning her points, and I am very shocked at how fast she is flying through the program.  Lesson length is perfect for her attention span on most days.  In fact, there are days where she will sit and work on three to four lessons at a time.  She just props her feet up and starts "playing".I had stopped her simple sentence writing with Caty the last couple months.  She had been struggling so bad, and the frustration was too much for both of us.  Last week, I pulled out her simple 2nd grade Sentence Writing book.  One of the next activities was to take a list of adjectives and create a short story about a make-believe pet.  This would have sent Caty into a fit a few weeks ago.  She would have been screaming that she could not make sentences.  But surprisingly (and even to HER own surprise), she was able to write a simple paragraph using the adjectives provided!!!ASD Reading has definitely given her more confidence in her reading and sentence writing areas.  She has been picking up more books to read, and I'm not fighting with her to work on her reading challenges that I give to all of the kids!!I encourage you to check out ASD Reading if you have a student who is struggling with reading and writing.  You can try it for 30 days at no charge to find out if it's a good fit for your student.

Avneet Ahluwalia, Teacher

The program leads to improvement that is nothing short of remarkable. It provides a new approach to reading instruction that has been incredibly effective for my students. I highly recommend it.

Susan Deland, Parent

My daughter, Diane, used ASD Reading just prior to, and during, kindergarten. It captivated her imagination and taught her to read, to the amazement of her school teachers. Everything about it was so logical and it also set her up to develop all other academic skills.