Enhancing the Reading Development of Learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Foundational to autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are difficulties developing joint attention, social reciprocity, and language/communication. These challenges place children with ASD at risk for future reading failure. Research suggests that many school-aged children with ASD will learn the decoding skills necessary to effectively read text, but will struggle with comprehension. Yet, the reading profiles of learners with ASD also show great heterogeneity, with some also unable to effectively decode new words. The range of challenges associated with ASD highlights the need for comprehensive literacy/reading instruction that addresses both code- and meaning-focused skills from the earliest grades. This article will provide an overview of effective interventions that support both the code- and meaning-focused skills of learners with ASD. Specific examples of effective instructional practices for learners with ASD will be shared.

Early Language Competencies and Advanced Measures of Mental State Understanding Are Differently Related to Listening and Reading Comprehension in Early Adolescence

“…This understanding may support them in understanding multiple perspectives and psychological causality earlier, more quickly, and more flexibly (Dore et al, 2018). Consequently, having developed a metarepresentational ToM understanding may support children's text comprehension via inference making skills about an author's intentions, and characters' thoughts and feelings (Cain, 2016;Kim, 2017).…”

“…The component skill model (e.g., Oakhill et al, 2006;Oakhill and Cain, 2012) proposes that different aspects of language such as grammar and vocabulary predict later text comprehension (see also Suggate et al, 2018). These different aspects may also be important for text comprehension at different points of development (see Muter et al, 2004;Cain, 2016).…”

“…However, besides these foundational language and cognitive skills, higher-level skills as for example, integration and interference, knowledge and use of text structure, and comprehension monitoring, play a role in text comprehension (Cain, 2016). Similar to (oral) language skills, it can be assumed that the contribution of higher-order skills becomes more relevant over time for reading comprehension, when decoding is less constraining, but also for text comprehension in general because texts become more complicated.…”

How Grades 4 to 8 Teachers Can Deliver Intensive Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension Interventions to Students With High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Fluency interventions allow students the opportunity to develop reading skills that promote both accurate reading and appropriate pace with text understanding (Kamps et al, 1994). The relationship between fluency and reading comprehension has been well established in the literature (Fuchs et al, 2001) and students with HFASD are described as benefiting from oral reading fluency practice (see Whalon, 2018). The benefits of fluency intervention are based on the idea that when students demonstrate appropriate speed with word recognition and proper use of punctuation, readers free up cognitive resources to attend to the meaning of text rather than using cognitive effort to decode words (LaBerge & Samuels, 1974).…”

“Howling at the scrabble-board”: exploring classroom literature from an autistic viewpoint

“…Although there has been study of the effect of autism on understanding fiction (for example, Whalon 2018;McIntyre et al 2017McIntyre et al , 2018Dore et al 2018), and although there has been considerable discussion of the representation of autism within fiction (for example, Lawrence 2020; Loftis, 2015; Semino 2014), there has been less consideration of how autism may affect the experience of reading fiction from the autistic perspective. All autistic people are different and will experience their autism differently.…”