I am currently a special education support officer in an ASD specific program. As such literacy is a big part of my day to day routine. I read to students, this is part of the AC General Capability of Literacy learning as children need to learn to comprehend texts through listening, reading and viewing. throughout the day we implement schedules and timetables that are both written and visual, utilize technology in several different forms, use body language and cues, and encourage students to explore their own skills through creation of different articles of work. I regularly assist in providing students with an engaging learning environment, engage in interactions using verbal/non-verbal communication as well as offering support according to their individual needs. Traditionally, student was seen as a vessel that needed to be filled with knowledge. Today, modern approaches understand that students come to class with their own needs, desires and histories, and when these elements are ignored, students achieve less. ( Lian, 2020 )

I believe it is important to help guide students in literacy opportunities as this helps them to navigate and make sense of an ever changing world, whilst helping them to develop into life long learners. 

One of the biggest strategies that we employ within our classroom is visual timetables and visual schedules.  In the world of education there has been much discussion about the different ways in which different students prefer to learn. It has been well established that students with autism spectrum disorder are generally visual learners. One of the most successful strategies to help with these students organisational difficulties is the provision of visual prompts or cues. These represent a sequence of actions in a particular task, or a timetable for the day or week. The format used is dependant upon the needs of the student and the types of visual cues best suited to them according to age, modes of functioning and the context of their surroundings. Visual knowledge is an element of the learning continum of Literacy within the Australian curriculum.of the Australian curriculum. This element involves students understanding how visual information contributes to the meanings created in learning area texts. (ACARA, 2019 ). 

Mauren Aukerman states comprehension-as-outcome orientation is enacted through item teaching, where teachers provide students with information aimed at enabling the production of certain understandings. ( Aukerman, 2013 ) As all  students in the class have an ASD diagnosis this structure is important as it helps encourage growth in their executive functioning and allows us to use their strengths to create plenty of opportunities for success. This is known as errorless learning. 

This pedagogy is based on direct instruction. The method is distinct in its step-by-step, lesson-by-lesson approach to teaching that is heavily scripted following arbitrarily constructed scales of difficulty. What the teachers say and do is prescribed and accompanied by a pre-specified system of rewards. (A.B. Lian etal, 2017 pg 125) 

Our students were originally taught the method and needed varying levels of support to progress through their learning however as the method became more familiar students were able to perform tasks independantly. Once the method is understood the tasks are increased and the level of difficulty then is slowly increased. These methods work through encouraging an orderly manner for the students to work with. Helping to reduce the anxiety that a less structured format creates.

Social stories are also used within our classroom. Social stories were developed by Carol Gray and first published in 1993. These are short stories that are written in a specific style and format. Each story describes the happenings in a specific social situation. Describing what is obvious to most students, but not so obvious to students with impaired social understanding. A social story describes what people do, why they do it and what the common responses are. Each story is written to meet the specific needs of the individual child in a specific situation.

Social Stories are a social learning tool that supports the safe and meaningful exchange of information between parents, professionals, and people with autism of all ages.(Carol Gray nd) 

Social stories are a practical and effective way to provide positive feedback to a student so that they can recognise their own appropriate skills and behaviour (affirming stories).They also help to prepare for a new experience and help a child accustom themselves to a situation and give strategies on how to respond appropriately. This helps to help prevent extreme reactions which can stem both from a lack of social understanding and difficulty with imagination. 

There is very little high quality research evidence on the use of social stories as an intervention for children the autism spectrum however what research there is has mixed results.

There is a small amount of evidence that suggests that social stories may help to reduce unwanted behaviours and increase social interaction in some children on the autism spectrum.

If social stories do provide any significant benefits for individuals on the autism spectrum is not something that I would currently be confident in determining. There would need to be significantly more research of a high quaility to sufficiently conclude that they are highly effective. In saying this I find them a very useful tool to give students insight within our classroom structure.