Accommodations to permit a child to read out loud to him/herself

[Karen72]

Hi!

I have a son who is a junior in high school.  He is on the autism spectrum with comorbid challenges of ADHD, OCD, anxiety... the list goes on.

I realized this year (even though I should have noticed it at least last year) that my son focuses better and for longer when he reads out loud to himself.

Some of his teachers this year require students to sit and read silently for 60+ minutes.  My son has fallen behind because he cannot read silently to himself.  

I wonder if anyone else has seen this?  

I can't find specific accommodations already established (other than using a "WhisperPhone" -- really?  What high school kid is going to want to do that in class?) to enable a student to read aloud to him/herself.  However, I have found anecdotal evidence from individuals who report that reading aloud improves their focus and helps block distractions.

The IEP meeting is tomorrow, and I am going to suggest that Ryan be permitted to sit outside the classroom (in the hallway).  Or, he can go to the library (I know -- too far removed from teacher).  Finally, he does have a 1-1 for a number of hours each day.  Could he report to this person in a location where he can read aloud?

I am interested in your thoughts and ideas.

Thank you!

[JSD24]

The logical place for this to happen would be the resource classroom.  (Not every school has one.)  Students should be supervised by an adult while at school and the hallway isn't appropriate due to lack of supervision as well as it not being safe should there be an intruder.  The library does sound like it would work.  Resource rooms tend to have a paraprofessional there and students use the room for extended testing time or a quiet place to work.  If he has a 1:1, it would open up other places in the building as an option.

Would an audio book work?  He could read and listen.  This could be done in a classroom with headphones.