I HATE TO WRITE! Tips for Helping Students With Autism Spectrum and Related Disorders Increase Achievement, Meet Academic Standards, and Become Happy, Successful Writers provides strategies that are easy to integrate into everyday teaching lessons and are designed to deliver results needed to make writing less difficult for those with autism spectrum disorder.

The writing process requires a high level of coordination between various brain parts. In individuals with an autism spectrum disorder, the areas of the brain do not communicate effectively, leading to great difficulty coordinating all the skills needed for writing. As a result, many students HATE TO WRITE!

Written in a format that appeals to readers (brief, practical, and to-the-point), this aptly named book focuses on the four areas of writing that are most problematic for students with autism spectrum disorder: language, organization, sensory and visual-motor skills organized under topics such as:

• Getting Started
• Knowing What to Write
• Getting Stuck
• Misunderstanding the Directions
• and many more!

The book and its worksheets make the task of teaching writing easy and fun. Strategies are appropriate for students K-12 and beyond. A diagnosis with autism spectrum disorder should not be sentenced to a lifetime of trouble writing.

Cheryl Boucher, MS, OTR, has a degree in occupational therapy and a master's in special education. She has worked as an occupational therapist for over 30 years. She has worked as a school-based occupational therapist in a large Indianapolis school district for the last several years. As an OTR, she has had extensive experience working with students with autism and many other special needs. She consults with teaching staff and parents to support students with autism and other special needs. Cheryl also has experience with assistive technology evaluation and services. She has also worked at a pediatric outpatient clinic servicing children with autism and sensory processing disorder. Cheryl has spoken nationally on writing strategies to support academic achievement and sensory processing for students with autism and related disorders in California, Florida, North Carolina, Ohio, and Indiana. She has also presented sensory challenges and autism workshops for the Indiana Resource Center for Autism school team training.

Kathy Oehler, MS, CCC-SLP, has worked with individuals with ASD for more than 30 years. As Autism Consultant for a large urban school district, she has helped teachers, parents, and administrators understand and meet the needs of students with ASD and various related disorders. As a member of her district Behavior Support Team, Kathy has worked with educational teams to help them recognize the impact of writing challenges on behavior and academic performance. Kathy is a national speaker, helping teachers and parents meet the educational needs of students with ASD and related disorders. She recently presented workshops to help school personnel implement writing strategies to increase academic achievement in North Carolina, Florida, Indiana, Ohio, Hawaii, and California. She has been a repeat presenter at the Autism Society of America National Convention, speaking on strategies to help students succeed with the writing process.