Supporting Literacy Development for Individuals with ASD

UMaine Alert

Posted: April 19, 2024 - 1:32 PM

At approximately 9:24 a.m. on Friday, April 19, a University of Maine graduate student was struck by a university vehicle on Long Road at the University of Maine campus in Orono. The student reports that they are at a local hospital with minor injuries.

Emergency services, including the Orono Fire Department, University Volunteer Ambulance Corps, University of Maine Police Department, Orono Police Department and Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office responded to the scene.

The university vehicle involved in the incident was a Chevrolet Express van. It was being operated by a university employee.

Counseling services and support are available for students, faculty or staff who may have been affected. The Counseling Center can be reached at 207-581-1392 and the Dean of Students Office can be reached at 207-581-1406.

The scene has been cleared and Long Road is now accessible. An investigation is being conducted by the University of Maine Police Department with assistance from the Penobscot County Sheriff’s Office Crash Reconstruction Unit. Any witnesses to the incident are encouraged to contact Lt. Noel Santiago at noel.santiago@maine.edu.

Text box with Supporting Literacy development for individuals with ASD With Haley Usilton

Click here to view this video

In this video, Haley addresses literacy: the spoken and written language connection. Individuals with Autism who benefit from augmentative and alternative (AAC) tools and techniques can benefit from directed learning opportunities related to building literacy skills. This 15-minute video is going to demonstrate for you how reading and writing activities, as well as routines, can be adapted to support the needs of individuals who use AAC in developing symbolic (in some instances, specifically text) encoding and decoding skills required to achieve literacy.

Haley Usilton is a first-year graduate student pursuing a Master’s in Communication Sciences and Disorders (CSD) at the University of Maine. Haley began her career at the University of Maine as an undergraduate majoring in CSD and minoring in Neuroscience, French, and Disability Studies. Haley has worked in the UMaine campus Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) Lab for three years. As a graduate assistant, Haley works on a variety of projects to better support AAC use and understanding in both the clinical and research environment.