Shared Book Reading Program | CliniKids

What is the Shared Book Reading Program?
CliniKids' new Shared Book Reading Program is designed to make reading with your little ones extra special.

The Shared Book Reading Program is a program for parents and carers of children who would like to build early book sharing communication opportunities.

The program was originally developed to support preschool autistic children, but is perfect for any family looking to spark joy and build early communication skills through books. Think of it as storytime with a purpose!

How does the program work?
In this program, a Speech Pathologist works directly with the caregiver using video feedback and modelling to encourage early language skills during book sharing in home environments.

Discover the many benefits of book sharing in this informative blog. Alternatively, download the flyer.

Let’s turn the page to better communication, one story at a time!

What does the research say?
It is estimated that 30 to 60 percent of autistic children face challenges with emergent literacy skills during their preschool years.

Research highlights the importance sharing stories together for the development of literacy skills.

This Shared Book Reading Program was found to support early spoken language and emergent literacy skills for autistic preschoolers.

The main findings were:

• Parents/caregivers and their children engaged in book sharing for longer
• Parents applied specific strategies to support vocabulary learning and story structure
• Children became more talkative and used a wider range of words during story sharing

Who is the program suitable for?
The program is suitable for:

• Children with or without an autism diagnosis
• Children who can attend to a book for approximately five minutes
• Families who would like to support their child with early book sharing and core-literacy skills