Teaching reading comprehension to learners with autism spectrum disorder: Discrepancies between teacher and research-recommended practices.
Teachers rely on worksheets and round-robin, but research says read aloud with feeling and ask direct questions instead.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Titlestad et al. (2019) asked 112 teachers how they teach reading to students with autism. They compared the answers to research-backed methods. The survey listed 18 strategies. Teachers picked the ones they use most.
What they found
Teachers favor worksheets and round-robin reading. Research says use fluent oral reading with feeling and ask clear, direct questions. Only a few teachers reported those methods. The gap was large and consistent across schools.
How this fits with other research
Wanchisen et al. (1989) showed kids understand more when they read fast and with emotion. L et al. found teachers rarely pick that method, so the old study still waits for classroom use.
Palka Bayard de Volo et al. (2021) proved autistic readers often miss hidden meanings. That supports the survey call for explicit questions instead of implied ones.
Thiessen et al. (2009) trained college students to teach better with a short manual. The same quick-training idea could close the reading gap L et al. exposed.
Why it matters
You can fix the gap today. Pick a story, model fluent expressive reading, then ask literal who-what-where questions. Drop the worksheet. One week of this switch can double correct answers for many autistic learners.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Students with autism spectrum disorder have been found to experience difficulty with reading comprehension despite intact decoding and word recognition. This identified need for targeted reading comprehension remediation results in a need for teachers to utilize research-based practices and to individualize instruction for students with autism spectrum disorder; however, teachers report a lack of access to such practices. This study utilized survey methodology to gather perceptions and experiences of teachers and to compare teacher preparedness to use effective instructional practices emerging from the extant research to teacher-reported effective practices in the classroom. Study findings, based on 112 participants, reveal a discrepancy between teacher-reported effective practices, and the practices identified as effective through research, indicating a research to practice gap. Implications for practice include professional development recommendations, and the need for increased communication between researchers and teachers.
Autism : the international journal of research and practice, 2019 · doi:10.1177/1362361317730744