Reading assessments for students with ASD: a survey of summative reading assessments used in special educational schools in the UK

Abstract

Schools have an obligation to assess the literacy skills of their students, and the provision of reading instruction to students includes the ability to measure progress in this area. However, the design of reading tests includes the ability not only to read words, but also the ability to verbalise them. This presents a particular challenge for practitioners working with students with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) who can be nonverbal in many cases. How this issue is generally overcome is currently unknown. A survey was developed, in the form of an online multiple-choice questionnaire, in order to determine which tests are currently being used in the UK to assess the reading abilities of nonverbal students, and to examine the opinions of the education practitioners who use them, in relation to their suitability. Using the schools web directory, e-mail invitations were sent to 1,050 special educational needs schools across the UK, and 70 schools responded to the invitation. Respondents suggested that the majority of practitioners hold little faith in the ability of current reading assessments to provide an accurate picture of reading ability for students with ASD, and this holds particularly true for nonverbal pupils with ASD. One purpose of education assessment is to establish a baseline of students' ability in order to plan for lifelong learning and achievement. If there is an inability on the part of schools accurately to assess the reading abilities of nonverbal students with ASD, then it would be fair to assume that this could have a negative impact on the provision of learning opportunities for this population.

A Systematic Review of Behaviour-Related Outcome Assessments for Children on the Autism Spectrum with Intellectual Disabilities in Education Settings

“…Much research in the area of educational assessment has focused on mainstream schools. Although only around 29% of autistic children are educated in special schools (Arnold and Reed 2016), it is important to ensure that school-based assessments are appropriate for these pupils. Aside from the statutory assessment of core curriculum subjects (English, maths and science), there is no specification of how other areas of learning are assessed, leaving the format of assessment to individual schools (Office for Standards in Education 2019).…”

“…Coexisting intellectual disabilities are also associated with an increase in challenging behaviour and difficulties with social skills (Walton and Ingersoll 2013). Around 25% of this population are pre-or minimally verbal (Arnold and Reed 2016) and the possible requirement for special education provision is one of the reasons autistic individuals with intellectual disabilities are considered a group with distinct needs compared with those with autism alone (Matson and Shoemaker 2009).…”

Evalution of Reading Competencies of Students in Special Schools

“…Keďže na trhu nie je žiadna skúška čítania, ktorá by bola vytvorená pre žiakov s mentálnym postihnutím, rozhodli sme sa pre skúšku čítania práve od Mikulajovej a Váryovej. Na problém diagnostiky čítacích zručností žiakov so špeciálnymi edukačnými potrebami (najmä u nehovoriacich žiakov) upozorňujú vo svojom výskume autori Arnold a Reed (2016). Skúška čítania od Mikulajovej a Váryovej nám umožňuje analyzovať a hodnotiť techniku čítania, porozumenie čítanému textu, pochopenie významu čítaného textu a chyby pri čítaní -viac informácií o teste si čitateľ nájde v publikácii (Mikulajová a kol., 2012).…”

Measuring the word recognition abilities of children who are both verbal and nonverbal with ASD using a traditional paper‐based and a novel digital test format

“…With regard to methods of assessing reading used for nonverbal pupils with ASD, Arnold and Reed () investigated tests employed in additional learning needs (ALN) settings. The results of the survey indicated that the most popular formats for reading assessment were those that carry a requirement to verbalise the sentences being read.…”

“…In terms of what we aimed to measure in the current study, we shall borrow the phrase ‘context free word recognition’ from Gough and Tunmer (). The New Salford Reading Test (NSRT) was identified as the most popular test being used in ALN schools in Arnold and Reed’s () study and therefore, this was the test we chose to deliver. While a comprehension test accompanies the NSRT, it is important to note that only the test which measures word recognition ability was delivered.…”