A comprehensive literature review of comprehension strategies in core content areas for students with autism spectrum disorder.

Foti et al. (2015) hunted for every paper that taught science, social studies, or math reading to students with autism. They kept only 23 studies that met basic quality rules. Thirteen of those earned high or adequate ratings.

The team looked for two kinds of tools: response-prompting routines like model-lead-test and time delay, plus any visual supports such as graphic organizers, pictures, or color-coded notes.

Both tool sets helped. Response-prompting raised comprehension in content classes. Visual supports did the same. No single study combined both, yet each alone produced gains.

The catch: most proofs came from single-case designs. Only a handful used group comparisons. Still, the pattern held across science, history, and math texts.

Rutherford et al. (2020) widens the lens. Their scoping review shows parents using visual schedules, choice boards, and picture cues at home and in the community. The 2015 classroom evidence and the 2020 home evidence fit like puzzle pieces—visual supports work across settings.

Tonnsen et al. (2016) goes deeper. They gave 8- to 13-year-olds with autism a visual imagery reading program. Kids’ brain scans lit up in language and visual areas, and comprehension scores rose. The neural data back the 2015 claim that visuals help learners with ASD.

Vassos et al. (2023) seems to disagree. They tested story comprehension in three formats—watching, listening, and reading—and found no format was easier for autistic students. But their kids were older (upper-elementary/middle school) and the task was self-monitoring, not content learning. The clash fades when you see the age and goal differences.

You can start Monday. Pick a science or social studies passage. Add a graphic organizer or icon strip. Use a quick response-prompting loop: model the strategy, lead the group through one example, then test with a new paragraph. Track correct responses for five days. If the line goes up, you just repeated the 2015 finding in your own room.