How to Use Adapted Books to Support Gestalt Language Learners & Minimally Verbal Students

Autism-Talk
5 days ago
4 min read

How Adapted Books Can Encourage Language in Autistic Children

For many autistic children—especially those who are minimally verbal or gestalt language learners—language doesn’t develop in the typical way. They may rely on echolalia, repeating words or phrases without yet understanding how to use them flexibly.

Adapted books provide structured opportunities to build meaningful communication, using predictable sentence starters like "I see..." or "I can..." to help children gain confidence in using language naturally.

Adapted books are designed to be interactive and engaging, making them particularly effective for children who face challenges with traditional learning methods. By incorporating carrier phrases like "I see...", "I can...", and "He is...", these books provide a structured yet flexible approach to language development.

If you make your own interactive books you can incorporate children's special interests or add content that addresses additional goals such as emotion identification or labelling actions.

But do they really work? Research suggests they do. A study from UCLA found that minimally verbal children with autism showed increased story comprehension and engagement during adapted shared reading sessions (Kasari, Gulsrud, Wong, Kwon, & Locke, 2010). This means that if used in a meaningful way, we can make a difference in these children's communication skills with a relatively simple tool.

In this post, we'll delve into what adapted books are (sometimes referred to as interactive books), how they can be used to support language development, and the benefits they offer to young autistic and minimally verbal children. We'll also provide practical steps on implementing these books and showcase some resources you can use.

Understanding Adapted Books
The Role of Carrier Phrases in Language Development
Benefits of Using Adapted Books with Young Autistic and Minimally Verbal Children
Implementing Adapted Books to Build Short Phrases
Showcasing Adapted Books for Teaching Short Phrases
Where to Find These Adapted Books
Conclusion

Understanding Adapted Books

Adapted books are modified reading materials that help children with diverse learning needs better understand and engage with stories. These books often include interactive features, visual prompts, simplified text, and repetitive sentence structures to create a more accessible reading experience.

Interactive Elements: Such as flaps to lift, textures to feel, or pieces to move, which make the reading experience more engaging.
Visual Supports: Including pictures, symbols, or icons that aid in comprehension and provide context.
Simplified Text: Using clear and concise language that's easy to understand.
Repetitive Structures: Reinforcing learning through repetition, which is especially beneficial for language acquisition.

For gestalt language learners—those who learn language in chunks rather than individual words—adapted books offer a way to model and practice these chunks in meaningful contexts. By using carrier phrases consistently, we provide a scaffold that helps these learners build and internalize language patterns.

The Role of Carrier Phrases in Language Development

Carrier phrases are short, fixed expressions that serve as templates for constructing sentences. Examples include:

"I see..."
"I can..."
"He is..."
"She likes..."
"They are..."

For children who are minimally verbal or echolalic (those who repeat words or phrases spoken by others), carrier phrases offer several advantages:

Predictability: The consistent structure provides a safe framework within which children can experiment with new words.
Simplicity: Short and repetitive phrases are easier to process and remember.
Flexibility: While the beginning of the phrase remains constant, the ending can change, allowing for a variety of expressions.

By integrating carrier phrases into adapted books, we create opportunities for children to practice these structures in a natural and enjoyable way. Over time, this practice can lead to increased spontaneous speech and more complex language use.

Benefits of Using Adapted Books with Young Autistic and Minimally Verbal Children

Using adapted books offers a multitude of benefits, particularly for young autistic and minimally verbal children. Here's how they can make a difference:

Enhances Engagement: The interactive nature of adapted books captures children's attention, making learning more enjoyable.
Improves Comprehension: Visual supports and simplified text help children understand the content better, leading to improved story comprehension.
Supports Language Development: By providing consistent structures through carrier phrases, adapted books facilitate the development of functional communication skills.
Promotes Independence: As children become familiar with the format and content of adapted books, they can begin to engage with them more independently, fostering a sense of autonomy.
Encourages Social Interaction: Shared reading experiences with adapted books can serve as a platform for social interaction, allowing children to communicate about the story with peers and adults.
Builds Confidence: Mastering the use of carrier phrases and understanding stories boosts children's confidence in their communication abilities.

Implementing Adapted Books to Build Short Phrases

Introducing adapted books into your teaching or therapy sessions doesn't have to be complicated. Here's a step-by-step guide to get you started:

Select Appropriate Books: Choose adapted books that incorporate carrier phrases relevant to your learning objectives or topics you child is particularly interested in
Introduce the Book: Discuss the cover, look at the pictures, and talk about what the story might be about.
Model the Carrier Phrase: Read the book aloud, emphasizing the carrier phrase and initially moving the pieces so the child sees how the book works.
Encourage Participation: Invite the child to repeat the phrase after you and gradually move the pieces for themselves and select the correct pieces for themselves
Reinforce and Praise: Offer positive reinforcement for attempts and successes.
Generalize the Phrases: Encourage the use of carrier phrases beyond the book in real-life conversations.

Showcasing Adapted Books for Teaching Short Phrases

📚 [Your TPT Book Name] – Uses "I see..." to help students label objects. 📚 [Your TPT Book Name] – Encourages action-based language with "I can...". 📚 [Your TPT Book Name] – Supports describing people using "He is..." or "She is...". 📚 [Your TPT Book Name] – Focuses on emotions and social communication with "I feel...".

Where to Find These Adapted Books

Explore my collection of speech therapy adapted books in my [TPT store link].

Final Thoughts on Adapted Books

Adapted books with carrier phrases offer a structured, engaging, and effective way to support language development in autistic and minimally verbal students.

💬 Have you used carrier phrases in your therapy or classroom? Share your experiences in the comments!

📥 Check out my printable adapted books on TPT to start using this strategy with your students today!

References

Kasari, C., Gulsrud, A. C., Wong, C., Kwon, S., & Locke, J. (2010). Randomized controlled caregiver-mediated joint engagement intervention for toddlers with autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40(9), 1045–1056. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-010-0955-5