When you encourage perspective-taking during book reading, you not only deepen your child’s understanding of the story, but also build the skills that help them understand why the people in their own lives act or respond the way they do. Use the tips in this Book Nook to spark conversations about how we all see and experience the world differently.

To fully understand stories, children need to recognize that characters have different feelings, likes and dislikes. If you have an autistic child who is verbal and who enjoys books, the tips in this Book Nook can help you encourage the perspective-taking skills that are important for both understanding stories as well as for communicating with others.

An important part of understanding stories is recognizing that characters in a story have different thoughts and feelings that influence what they say and do. Here are some tips to use during book reading to support children’s perspective-taking skills.

Children learn language and literacy skills best during powerful, high-quality conversations with the important adults in their lives. Learn what the ingredients of a powerful conversation are, and get specific tips for what you can do during these conversations to maximize your child’s learning.