Why Dekko Comics are Helpful for Autistic Readers

Dekko Comics have proven not just great resources,but also ideal reading material for autistic children.

People with autism tend to respond much better to clear sensory material than words alone. Which is why Dekko Comics are packed with visuals, colour, characters and fun narratives!

Neil Cohn, a cognitive scientist, relates: ‘children with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) enjoy reading comics more than neurotypical children -- with over 90 percent of children who have ASD with language disorders reported as enjoying comics and ~80 percent of ASD children with normal language, compared to ~60 percent of neurotypical children (Lucas and Norbury 2018; Cohn 2020). 

Below are some examples of why Dekko Comics can be highly beneficial for autistic learners.

Clear & Easy to Follow

‘Autistic people often have difficulty 'reading' other people - recognising or understanding others' feelings and intentions - and expressing their own emotions. This can make it very hard to navigate the social world.’ (The National Autistic Society)

The cartoon facial expressions and postures of the Dekko Comics characters are naturally exaggerated, which can make emotions and feelings much easier for autistic readers to understand and engage with.

Panels space out the action so that the story flows clearly and does not overwhelm the reader with too much information, which makes Dekko Comics great for autistic readers.

Each Dekko comic story / lesson is two pages long, which makes them easier to read and remember - providing a clear beginning, middle and end. From the minute they open a page, learners can instinctively tell the story is digestible. Short, fun, comic narratives can help autistic children to read and engage with learning materials.

Providing More than Just Dry Text

‘individuals with autistic traits may have preferences for reading multimodal narratives like comics more than neurotypical individuals’ (Neil Cohn 2020)

Textbooks communicate information in a very dry and lifeless way, with little to engage a reader’s reader interest or memory beyond the material itself. Whereas Dekko Comics use entertainment and the comic book format to provide various helpful tools for autistic readers.

Visual Teaching

Autistic learners may struggle to absorb the significance of words in isolation, but comics are multimodal which allows them to communicate meaning through words, narratives, visuals, characters and layout. It is why Dekko Comics are such a valuable learning tool.

Dekko Comics understand the value of entertainment. Sharing information through visuals and stories that engage and entertain readers, provides a more accessible, memorable and enjoyable way of learning.

Humour 

Communicating through funny and entertaining stories helps readers to relax and creates a positive, memorable, experience. Dekko characters provide learners with a funny and recognisable presence throughout Dekko Comics, which can be especially helpful for autistic readers. Using funny situations and characters supports learners in remembering information related to that event, in the same way you might remember a quote from an episode of the Simpsons or your favourite film.

Colour

Much like dyslexic learners, colour can add great value and appeal for autistic learners. Walls of text can often prove overwhelming and dissuade meaningful engagement for many autistc learners, whereas colour-coded reading highlights key elements and provides a dynamic learning experience.

Characters & Story 

Children with autism can find great comfort in familiar characters, especially in the context of an enjoyable story they can engage with.

Characters can help autistic learners to open up and engage with the world around them, particularly if it is a character they like or recognise. Lessons shared by characters or stories we love are the easiest to remember.

Dekko uses characters to feed learners’ imaginations and make them care about educational material in an accessible way.

Comics & Videos Share Similar Values

Like with other multimodal formats, autistic children can learn a lot from the videos they watch - as it provides a relaxed and engaging learning experience - which is one of the reasons we developed Dekko Video Courses.

However, comics hold many of the same values we associate with learning through videos: characters, stories, visuals, creative inspiration and simplified scenarios that are easy to follow. 

Unlike a video, comics can be read at a learner’s own pace. Each Dekko Comics issue is packed with exciting educational content, and each of our short learning narratives allows readers to process them at a speed that works for them — enabling learners to absorb information in a more meaningful and engaging way. And, more importantly, in a way that doesn’t feel like school!

Creating a Common Symbolic Language

Dekko Comics characters and stories can help to develop a common symbolic language between learner and their mentors.

For example, if a learner connects with a Dekko character in a meaningful way - that character and their interactions could be used to consider other situations, concepts or skills.

This can be very helpful for autistic children as a means of engaging them in other areas of their school work or with concepts they may otherwise find difficult to understand.

Linking the Inner & Outer World

Many autistic learners can become preoccupied with their inner thought processes and it can sometimes be a challenge to engage them through the world around them.

However, Dekko Comics’ focus on educational facts and information can help to inspire a learner’s interest and encourage them to interact with the external world in a more tangible and engaged way (this is especially true of the activities in Dekko Video Courses).

For example, if a young learner enjoys a Dekko Comic about Tracey Time’s visit to the Colosseum in Rome, this can lead to them becoming interested in Roman history and then Rome, then Italy and so on. 

Dekko Comics’ characters, stories and the lessons (especially those that connect with each autistic learner) can be used to build the bridge of intrigue between the inner and outer world.