When I think about teaching writing to students with autism, I can imagine many different paths to follow. It means that which path you follow depends on the individual’s current level of cognitive, social, behavior and fine motor skills.
Especially for those who have very limited communication skills and fine motor skills- We can always start with tracing upper and lower case letters. Then, move on the copy those letters from the model. The next step will be to write those letters from auditory input without any models. Like, ” Write A, apple starts with the letter A.”
- trace
- copy from the model
- write without the model
These can be done with simple words. Trace the word, copy the word from the model, and write them without the model.
At the same time, my students would probably work on spelling simple words using hands-on materials. Then some start writing a simple word when told to do so.
It may sound easy but this whole process may take a year or more for many students with autism.
When a student is pretty good at this point with some words- we would put some words together to make phrases and sentences. Creating your ideas into sentences is not an easy task. Starting with carrier phrases and sentence starters is an easy way to get into a writing task.
Finally, this is a modified writing curriculum for students in special education, especially students with autism and limited language skills.
As a SPED teacher, I have struggled for a long time with teaching writing. I am sure many special educators would feel the same way. It is difficult to find functional writing activities in special education. Writing about the day, journal writing can be a good daily activity for students with limited skills.
Writing (use the products in sequence)
1. Simple Tracing Words Task Cards
2. Printable Writing Worksheets for beginners
Everyday Teaching Autism Resources 
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