Curriculum reform in Ireland and Europe continues at a steady pace with policy developments focusing on raising the literate, numerate and wellbeing outcomes and potentials of all school age children.  Included in these policy and curricula changes are children with special educational needs.  An emerging requirement for schools in Ireland to self-regulate via self-evaluation is a cornerstone in education reform.  Attention to national and international assessment outcomes of literacy and numeracy has provided evidence that our children and young people are not reaching their literate or numerate potential and are underperforming in international norms.  Kennedy (2013, p. 511) argues that underachievement in literacy is a ‘universal social injustice’.  Over the past two decades there has been a sustained focus on raising literacy outcomes for pupils in our education system.  Like many international countries Ireland has reformed it’s junior primary language curriculum, the stated rationale being to address the need for a broader definition of literacy and which acknowledges the development of literacy across the life span (NCCA, 2016). 

The Irish Constitution (Ireland, 2012 (Lúnasa)) communicates the law on education and in particular ‘acknowledges the primary and natural educator of the child as the family’.  The Education Act (Ireland, 1998) values the participation of parents in the education of children with special educational needs (Ireland, 2000, 2004).  Parent lead leadership in education is well placed, however the realities of the challenges faced by parents of children with special educational needs and in particular autism requires a system wide response to supporting and valuing their participation and to ensure they identify themselves as prime educators and leaders in family literacy.

The changing prevalence rates of autism across Europe and the wider world has draw attention to the need to prioritise the development of policy advice for supporting these learners within the education system.  In Ireland, according to the NCSE (2015, p. 22) the estimated rise in early intervention and primary class provision has risen from 77 classes in 2001 to 949 classes in 2014.  It is now a key recommendation within the NCSE policy document to build teacher professional capacity and competence in teaching pupils with autism within the mainstream setting.  Typically developing children use observation and mimicking to learn language and communication, they use both verbal and non-verbal mechanisms to receive and relay information in a social context.  They naturally internalise and generate understanding of the functions of language, reading and writing.  Children with autistic spectrum disorder do not develop this ability at the ‘normal’ milestones and therefore the messages have less meaning and understanding.  As a result the mechanics of language development for social situations and relationships are not acquired successfully and lead to social communication deficits (Janzen, 1996; Lanter, Watson, Erickson, & Freeman, 2012; Powell & Jordan, 2012; Zager, Wehmeyer, & Simpson, 2012).

Lanter et al. (2012, p. 309) determine that ‘few studies have examined emergent literacy skills development in young children with autism’.

This paper seeks to explore the active role of parents in the literacy development of their children with autism.  A thesis is presented through a sociocultural lens that provides a context for the debate on family culture and literacy and gives voice to the perceptions and narratives of parents (mothers n=20, fathers n=3) on literacy values.  Vignettes are presented to demonstrate the complexities and challenges families face in the social and communication aspects of their lives with a child with autism. Evidence is presented on the working definitions of literacy and the value parents place on communicative intent via non-verbal behaviours.  This is then reflected and debated upon from a policy and curriculum perspective.

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