Jude

Literacy Through Music and Expression

Jude connects most strongly with literacy through music, rhythm, and repetition. His singing demonstrates pitch, memory, and emotional expression. He engages with stories that include repetition and action, and uses literacy as a way to connect with others.

Jude is non-verbal and enjoys being in his own world. When he first joined the class it took us a while to get him to show interest in our world or let us into his. He loves to stim and finds true joy in stimming. It is when he is at his happiest and this was what he used to be entirely focused on. Jude has really progressed over the last year in needing to stim less and wanting to engage in relationships with adults and peers more and the motivator for this was literacy.  Jude loves to look at non-fiction books about his special interests with adults, particularly about space or the ocean.

Jude has now started to understand symbol communication and will point to the things he wants. Jude has started to really enjoy nursery rhyme time and story time. After a year and a half he has now started to join in with these group sessions with enthusiasm, particularly with singing. Jude is a beautiful singer - truly beautiful. It is when he sings that you hear his voice most clearly. He has a wide range of songs, nursery rhymes, songs from musicals or Disney shows, hymns and Christmas carols. His repertoire is endless and his ability to hear and carry the tune is perfect. The love he has for singing is vast. Alongside this he loves a story with action, music and repeated refrains – and We’re Going on a Bear Hunt, The Gingerbread Man and Polar Bear Polar Bear are current favourites. He knows them word for word, looks at the books and jumps and spins and stims around the room as he acts them out. For Jude, literacy is a way to explore his special interests, a way to stim, and a way to express himself and invite others to be a part of his world. It is expression, enjoyment, and enthusiastic shared experiences.