Restricted accessResearch articleFirst published online 2020-4
How Grades 4 to 8 Teachers Can Deliver Intensive Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension Interventions to Students With High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder
This article discusses use of a multicomponent intervention to develop the reading skill and performance of grades 4 to 8 students identified with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. Reading intervention targets for this population are vocabulary, fluency, and comprehension. Reading intervention elements involve explicit vocabulary instruction, repeated reading with sentence-level comprehension, question-answering relationships, and main idea summarization. Included in the article are explicit instructional routines and curricular materials supported by empirical evidence for the intervention elements.
AccardoA. L. (2015). Research synthesis: Effective practices for improving the reading comprehension of students with autism spectrum disorder. DADD Online Journal, 2(1), 7–20. https://rdw.rowan.edu/education_facpub/6
2.
AdcockJ.CuvoA. J. (2009). Enhancing learning for children with autism spectrum disorders in regular education by instructional modifications. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 3, 319–328. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2008.07.004
3.
ÅsbergJ.KoppS.Berg-KellyK.GillbergC. (2010). Reading comprehension, word decoding and spelling in girls with autism spectrum disorders or AD/HD: Performance and predictors. International Journal of Language & Communication Disorders, 45, 61–71. https://doi.org/10.3109/13682820902745438
4.
ÅsbergJ.SandbergA. D. (2010). Discourse comprehension intervention for high-functioning students with autism spectrum disorders: Preliminary findings from a school-based study. Journal of Research in Special Educational Needs, 10, 91–98. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1471-3802.2010.01147.x
5.
BeckI. L.McKeownM. G. (2007). Different ways for different goals, but keep your eye on the higher verbal goals. In WagnerR. K.MuseA. E.TannenbaumK. R. (Eds.), Vocabulary acquisition: Implications for reading comprehension (pp. 182–204). Guilford.
6.
BiemillerA. (2007). The influence of vocabulary on reading acquisition. Encyclopedia of language and literacy development (pp. 1–10). London, ON: Western University.
7.
BrownH. M.Oram-CardyJ.JohnsonA. (2013). A meta-analysis of the reading comprehension skills of individuals on the autism spectrum. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43, 932–955. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1638-1
8.
CarnahanC. R.WilliamsonP. S.ChristmanJ. (2011). Linking cognition and literacy in students with autism spectrum disorder. Teaching Exceptional Children, 43, 54–62. https://doi.org/10.1177/004005991104300606
9.
CarrS. C.ThompsonB. (1996). The effects of prior knowledge and schema activation strategies on the inferential reading comprehension of children with and without learning disabilities. Learning Disability Quarterly, 19, 48–61. https://doi.org/10.2307/1511053
10.
CattsH. W.AdlofS. M.WeismerS. E. (2006). Language deficits in poor comprehenders: A case for the simple view of reading. Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 49, 278–293. https://doi.org/10.1044/1092-4388(2006/023)
11.
ChiangH. M.LinY. H. (2007). Reading comprehension instruction for students with autism spectrum disorders: A review of the literature. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 22, 259–267. https://doi.org/10.1177/10883576070220040801
DanneM. C.CampbellJ. R.GriggW. S.GoodmanM. J.OranjeA. (2005). Fourth-grade students reading aloud: NAEP 2002 special study of oral reading (NCES 2006-469). U.S. Department of Education, Institute of Education Sciences, National Center for Education Statistics, U.S. Government Printing Office.
14.
El ZeinF.GevarterC.BryantB.SonS. H.BryantD.KimM.SolisM. (2016). A comparison between iPad-assisted and teacher-directed reading instruction for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 28, 195–215. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-015-9458-9
15.
El ZeinF.SolisM.VaughnS.McCulleyL. (2014). Reading comprehension interventions for students with autism spectrum disorders: A synthesis of research. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 44, 1303–1322. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-013-1989-2
16.
FinneganE.MazinA. L. (2016). Strategies for increasing reading comprehension skills in students with autism spectrum disorder: A review of the literature. Education and Treatment of Children, 39, 187–219. https://doi.org/10.1353/etc.2016.0007
17.
FuchsL. S.FuchsD.HospM. K.JenkinsJ. R. (2001). Oral reading fluency as an indicator of reading competence: A theoretical, empirical, and historical analysis. Scientific Studies of Reading, 5, 239–256. https://doi.org/10.1207/S1532799XSSR0503_3
GuthrieR. M. (2017). Effectiveness of repeated reading and error correction strategies on the reading fluency skills of students with autism spectrum disorder [Doctoral dissertation, Western Kentucky University]. https://digitalcommons.wku.edu/diss/136
21.
HappéF.FrithU. (2006). The weak coherence account: Detail-focused cognitive style in autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36, 5–25. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-005-0039-0
22.
HeflinL. J.AlbertoP. A. (2001). Establishing a behavioral context for learning for students with autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 16, 93–101. https://doi.org/10.1177/108835760101600205
23.
HendersonL. M.ClarkeP. J.SnowlingM. J. (2014). Reading comprehension impairments in autism spectrum disorders. L’année Psychologique, 114, 779–797. https://doi.org/10.4074/s0003503314004084
24.
HiebertE. H. (2003). QuickReads—A research-based fluency program. Pearson.
25.
HuaY.HendricksonJ. M.TherrienW. J.Woods-GrovesS.RiesP. S.ShawJ. J. (2012). Effects of combined reading and question generation on reading fluency and comprehension of three young adults with autism and intellectual disability. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 27, 135–146. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088357612448421
26.
HundertJ.van DelftS. (2009). Teaching children with autism spectrum disorders to answer inferential ‘‘why’’ questions. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 24, 67–76. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088357609332984
KampsD. M.BarbettaP. M.LeonardB. R.DelquadriJ. (1994). Classwide peer tutoring: An integration strategy to improve reading skills and promote peer interactions among students with autism and general education peers. Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis, 27, 49–61. https://doi.org/10.1901/jaba.1994.27-49
29.
KampsD. M.LeonardB.PotucekJ.Garrison-HarrellL. G. (1995). Cooperative learning groups in reading: An integration strategy for students with autism and general classroom peers. Behavioral Disorders, 21, 89–109. https://doi.org/10.1177/019874299502100103
30.
KeenD.WebsterA.RidleyG. (2016). How well are children with autism spectrum disorder doing academically at school? An overview of the literature. Autism, 20, 276–294. https://doi.org/10.1177/1362361315580962
31.
KlingnerJ. K.VaughnS. (1999). Promoting reading comprehension, content learning, and English acquisition though Collaborative Strategic Reading (CSR). The Reading Teacher, 52, 738–747.
32.
KnightV. F.SartiniE. (2015). A comprehensive literature review of comprehension strategies in core content areas for students with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 45, 1213–1229. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-014-2280-x
33.
KuhnM. R.SchwanenflugelP. J. (Eds.). (2008). Fluency in the classroom. Guilford Press.
McIntyreN. S.SolariE. J.GrimmR. P.LerroL. E.GonzalesJ. E.MundyP. C. (2017). A comprehensive examination of reading heterogeneity in students with high functioning autism: Distinct reading profiles and their relation to autism symptom severity. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47, 1086–1101. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-017-3029-0
36.
MiciakJ.RobertsG.TaylorW. P.SolisM.AhmedY.VaughnS.FletcherJ. M. (2018). The effects of one versus two years of intensive reading intervention implemented with late elementary struggling readers. Learning Disabilities Research & Practice, 33, 24–36. https://doi.org/10.1111/ldrp.12159
37.
NationK.ClarkeP.WrightB.WilliamsC. (2006). Patterns of reading ability in children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36, 911–919. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-006-0130-1
38.
NicholsW. D.RupleyW. H. (2004). Matching instructional design with vocabulary instruction. Reading Horizons, 45(1), Article 4.
39.
NorburyC.NationK. (2011). Understanding variability in reading comprehension in adolescents with autism spectrum disorders: Interactions with language status and decoding skill. Scientific Studies of Reading, 15, 191–210. https://doi.org/10.1080/10888431003623553
40.
O’ConnorI. M.KleinP. D. (2004). Exploration of strategies for facilitating the reading comprehension of high-functioning students with autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 34, 115–127. https://doi.org/10.1023/b:jadd.0000022603.44077.6b
41.
RandiJ.NewmanT.GrigorenkoE. L. (2010). Teaching children with autism to read for meaning: Challenges and possibilities. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 40, 890–902. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-010-0938-6
42.
RasinskiT.RikliA.JohnstonS. (2009). Reading fluency: More than automaticity? More than a concern for the primary grades?Literacy Research and Instruction, 48, 350–361. https://doi.org/10.1080/19388070802468715
43.
ReisenerC. D.LancasterA. L.McMullinW. A.HoT. (2014). A preliminary investigation of evidence-based interventions to increase oral reading fluency in children with autism. Journal of Applied School Psychology, 30, 50–67. https://doi.org/10.1080/15377903.2013.869785
44.
ReutebuchC. K.El ZeinF.KimM. K.WeinbergA. N.VaughnS. (2015). Investigating a reading comprehension intervention for high school students with autism spectrum disorder: A pilot study. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 9, 96–111. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2014.10.002
45.
RickettsJ.JonesC. R.HappéF.CharmanT. (2013). Reading comprehension in autism spectrum disorders: The role of oral language and social functioning. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 43, 807–816. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-012-1619-4
46.
Rodriguez-MojicaC.BriceñoA. (2018). Sentence stems that support reading comprehension. The Reading Teacher, 72, 398–402. https://doi.org/10.1002/trtr.1705
47.
RouxC.DionE.BarretteA.DupéréV.FuchsD. (2015). Efficacy of an intervention to enhance reading comprehension of students with high-functioning autism spectrum disorder. Remedial and Special Education, 36, 131–142. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932514533998
48.
SenokossoffG. W. (2016). Developing reading comprehension skills in high-functioning children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A review of the research, 1990–2012. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 32, 223–246. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2014.936574
49.
SolariE. J.GrimmR.McIntyreN. S.Swain-LerroL.ZajicM.MundyP. C. (2017). The relation between text reading fluency and reading comprehension for students with autism spectrum disorders. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 41, 8–19. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rasd.2017.07.002
50.
SolisM.ReutebuchC. K.FalcomataT.SteinleP. K.MillerV. L.VaughnS. (2019). Vocabulary and main idea reading intervention using text choice to improve content knowledge and reading comprehension of adolescents with autism spectrum disorder. Behavior Modification. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/0145445519853781
51.
SolisM.VaughnS.Stillman-SpisakS. J.ChoE. (2018). Effects of reading comprehension and vocabulary intervention on comprehension-related outcomes for ninth graders with low reading comprehension. Reading & Writing Quarterly, 34, 537–553. https://doi.org/10.1080/10573569.2018.1499059
52.
SpiresH. A.DonleyJ. (1998). Prior knowledge activation: Inducing engagement with informational texts. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90, 249–260. https://doi.org/10.1037//0022-0663.90.2.249
VadasyP. F.SandersE. A. (2008). Repeated reading intervention: Outcomes and interactions with readers’ skills and classroom instruction. Journal of Educational Psychology, 100, 272–290. https://doi.org/10.1037/0022-0663.100.2.272
55.
van de PolJ.VolmanM.BeishuizenJ. (2010). Scaffolding in teacher–student interaction: A decade of research. Educational Psychology Review, 22, 271–296. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10648-010-9127-6
56.
WhalonK. (2018). Enhancing the reading development of learners with autism spectrum disorder. Seminars in Speech and Language, 39, 144–157. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0038-1628366
57.
WhalonK.Al OtaibaS.DelanoM. E. (2009). Evidence-based reading instruction for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 24, 3–16. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088357608328515
58.
WhalonK.HanlineM. F. (2008). Effects of a reciprocal questioning intervention on the question generation and responding of children with autism spectrum disorder. Education and Training in Developmental Disabilities, 43, 367–387.
59.
YellM. L.BatemanD. F. (2017). Endrew F. v. Douglas County School District (2017) FAPE and the US Supreme Court. Teaching Exceptional Children, 50, 7–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/0040059917721116
60.
YovanoffP.DuesberyL.AlonzoJ.TindalG. (2005). Grade-level invariance of a theoretical causal structure predicting reading comprehension with vocabulary and oral reading fluency. Educational Measurement: Issues and Practice, 24, 4–12. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1745-3992.2005.00014.x
