Building Comprehension Skills of Young Children With Autism One Storybook at a Time

Code- and Meaning-related Emergent Literacy Skills and Joint Attention in Autistic and Non-Autistic Children

Code- and meaning-related emergent literacy skills of autistic children were compared to those of non-autistic children who did not differ on age and full-scale IQ (FSIQ). The associations between joint attention skills and early literacy abilities were of interest. Seventeen autistic and 20 non-autistic children (48 to 72 months) participated. Parents completed a joint attention measure and children completed code- and meaning-related emergent literacy skills measures. Findings showed that autistic and non-autistic children did not differ on code-related emergent literacy skills, letter knowledge and phonological awareness, but autistic children scored lower on print conceptsand name writing. Autistic children also scored lower on meaning-related skills assessing the comprehensive and quality of oral narratives. FSIQ predicted print concept knowledge in all children. Receptive vocabulary was a significant predictor of meaning-related skills in autistic children and the quality of oral narratives in non-autisticchildren. Joint attention was also a significant predictor of oral narrative quality in autistic children. Recommendations for promoting emergent literacy skills using a strength-based approach are discussed.

Using the Question-Answer Relationship Strategy to Improve Listening Comprehension in Young Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Our purpose in this study was to examine the effects of an intervention package consisting of shared book reading and an adapted question-answer relationship (QAR) strategy comprised of visual supports and think-aloud scripts on listening comprehension in four preschool children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We used a single-subject concurrent multiple-baseline design across participants with continuous acquisition probes to evaluate the effects of the intervention package on producing acquisition and maintenance of listening comprehension across four types of comprehension questions. Visual analysis and Tau-U effect size indicated that the intervention package was effective in producing acquisition and maintenance of listening comprehension in preschool children with ASD. Directions for future research and clinical implications for early education practice are discussed.

"It's about sharing a moment": Parents' views and experiences of home reading with their autistic children with moderate-to-severe intellectual disabilities

BACKGROUND

The home literacy environment plays a critical role in the development of children's literacy and language development. Little is known, however, about the home literacy environment of autistic children, especially those with moderate-to-severe intellectual disabilities.

AIMS

The current study used a sequential mixed-methods design to understand how parents attempt to engage their autistic children in reading activities and support them in learning to read.

METHODS AND PROCEDURE

First, 63 parents (53 mothers) whose autistic children attended an autism-specific special school completed a bespoke questionnaire about the home literacy environments for their children (n = 69, age range = 3-11 years, 61 boys, 8 girls). Second, a subsample of parents (n = 19, 15 mothers) participated in focus groups to understand in-depth their views and experiences of home reading with their children (n = 20, age range = 3-11 years, 19 boys, 1 girl). We used reflexive thematic analysis to analyse the focus group data.

OUTCOMES AND RESULTS

Across questionnaire and focus group methods, parents were united in considering reading to be an important life skill, a sentiment that was reflected both by their often literacy-rich homes and the ingenuity in their efforts to engage their children in shared home-reading activities - even when such engagement could be challenging. They also emphasised, however, the importance of valuing these activities as an opportunity to "catch a moment" with their child.

CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS

Parents and teachers should work together to identify ways to enhance autistic children's engagement in shared home-reading activities, listening to and learning from each other's experiences and expertise, and to show what is possible within each learning context.

Orthographic Support for Word Learning in Clinical Populations: A Systematic Review

Purpose A systematic review was performed to determine the extent to which orthographic facilitation, a strategy to improve word learning, has been demonstrated in the literature for children and adolescents from clinical categories such as developmental language disorders (DLD), autism spectrum disorders (ASD), Down syndrome, dyslexia, hearing impairment, intellectual disability, and cerebral palsy. Method Five databases were searched for all studies published through December 2019. Eligible studies included participants from a clinical population (DLD, ASD, dyslexia, cerebral palsy, Down syndrome, hearing impairment, etc.) and compared word learning with and without orthography. Selected studies were extracted for pertinent information. In addition, assessment of the methodological rigor was performed for each study. Results The review yielded five studies that targeted word learning with orthographic facilitation for children from various clinical populations including DLD, verbal children with autism, Down syndrome, and dyslexia. All studied populations showed a benefit for word learning in picture naming posttests when words were trained in the presence of orthography. Conclusions For the studied populations, training words in the presence of orthography will improve word learning accuracy and retention. The review highlights the need for more research in this area across other clinical populations. Supplemental Material https://doi.org/10.23641/asha.14632791.

Introduction to the Forum: Literacy in Autism-Across the Spectrum

Purpose The purpose of this article is to introduce the LSHSS Forum: Literacy in Autism-Across the Spectrum. The articles in this forum provide an overview of the current evidence related to literacy in autism spectrum disorder (ASD) from preschool to adolescence and highlight the high literacy needs of this population. Method This introduction provides an overview of some of the reasons why children with ASD are at risk of persistent literacy difficulties and a summary of the six articles included in this forum. Conclusion More research is clearly needed to better understand which factors contribute to the high literacy needs in this population. For now, based on the best available evidence, the authors in this forum provide clear clinical implications that should be highly useful for speech-language pathologists and other professionals involved in literacy assessment and intervention for children and adolescents on the autism spectrum.