Embedding perseverative interest of a child with autism in text may result in improved reading comprehension: A pilot study

Does Embedding Restricted Interests of Students with Autism in Text Improve Reading Comprehension?

Reading comprehension deficits are common for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) but there are few studies that have examined specific strategies for teaching reading comprehension to this population. The current study investigated the effect of embedding the restricted interests (RI) of two high school students with ASD in text on reading comprehension performance using a single-subject, multi-element research design. Neither participant showed an increase in the number of relevant words shared during oral retell and only one participant showed an increase in the percent of correctly answered reading comprehension questions. Embedding the RI in text more frequently did not impact reading comprehension performance. The results indicate there are potential variables that may limit the effect of embedding the RI of students with ASD in text on reading comprehension.

Interventions for Improving Reading Comprehension in Children with ASD: A Systematic Review

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) often have comorbid learning difficulties in reading comprehension, an essential skill in accessing any area of the curriculum. The aim of this systematic review is to analyze the effectiveness of reading comprehension interventions in students with ASD. We conducted a search for scientific articles published from 2000 to 2019 using the keyword "autis*" in combination with the terms "reading comprehension" and "intervention" or "instruction" in Psyc Info and Scopus databases. After applying inclusion and exclusion criteria, a total of 25 studies were selected. The content analysis of these studies shows that when specific interventions are carried out, students with ASD are able to take advantage of the instruction they receive and compensate for difficulties. Understanding inferences and the main idea of the text are the most common reading comprehension topics, and direct instruction is the most widely-used intervention method in the reviewed studies. Nonetheless, it must be kept in mind that some of the reviews do not specify which sub-processes are addressed in the intervention. Future work should include this aspect, consider the importance of the interventions being implemented by teachers, and take specific aspects of ICT into account that can contribute to improving reading comprehension.

Vocabulary and Main Idea Reading Intervention Using Text Choice to Improve Content Knowledge and Reading Comprehension of Adolescents With Autism Spectrum Disorder

This simultaneous replication single-case design study investigated a vocabulary and main idea intervention with an aspect of text choice provided to students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Five middle school students with ASD participated in two instructional groups taught by school-based personnel. Results were initially mixed. These results were followed by upward and stable trends, indicating a functional relationship between the independent and dependent variables. Social validity measures indicated that students appreciated the opportunity to make choices on text selection.