A Randomized Controlled Trial of Headsprout on the Reading Outcomes in Children With Autism Using Parents as Facilitators
Parents can lift reading scores at home by running Headsprout after a single BST session and weekly online check-ins.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Nally and colleagues asked parents to run the Headsprout reading program at home with their autistic children.
Parents first got a short behavior-skills training. Then they joined a weekly online support group and could message a BCBA any time.
Kids in the control group kept their usual reading help. After several weeks the team compared reading scores.
What they found
Children who used Headsprout with parent help showed moderate gains in word attack, passage fluency, and comprehension.
The control group made little or no progress. Parents also said they felt confident to keep teaching.
How this fits with other research
Pettingell et al. (2022) extends this work into schools. They added extra support tiers and every autistic student still moved through the lessons.
Gillespie et al. (2023) is a near copy of the study but without the parent coaching. Reading gains were only marginal, showing the coaching matters.
Storey et al. (2020) tested Headsprout in classrooms years earlier and saw bigger literacy jumps. The new parent model brings the program home but produces smaller, yet still useful, gains.
Bailey et al. (2022) tried a different online reading program plus shared book reading and saw no measurable benefit. Headsprout plus coaching looks more effective than that package.
Why it matters
You can send Headsprout home tonight. Give parents a one-hour BST session, set up a short weekly Zoom, and share your cell number. The study shows this light lift can move reading scores when school minutes are scarce.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Pick one family, load the free Headsprout trial, teach parents to praise and prompt, and schedule a 15-minute Zoom check-in for Friday.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are considered an at-risk population for reading delays and challenges. In recent years, there has been emerging support for the computer-assisted instruction (CAI) Headsprout with respect to reading outcomes in children with ASD. CAI, often used within classrooms, is designed using automated and carefully sequenced instruction. A randomized controlled trial was used to explore the implementation of Headsprout by parents, including a treatment package (i.e., behavioral skills training, an online support group, and a consultative model) within the home environment, with their children with ASD. A between-groups design was used to evaluate the effects of Headsprout on the reading outcomes and print motivation of a sample of 26 children with ASD. Thirteen children were in the experimental (Headsprout) group, and thirteen were in the control group receiving treatment as usual. Supplementary online supports were provided to parents based on specific learning problems identified during the intervention. Results demonstrated that participants who received Headsprout showed greater gains in reading rate, word reading, non-word reading, and target sounds and words within Headsprout than the control group. The results of print motivation demonstrated that only Headsprout-specific print material resulted in an increase in assessed preference at posttests.
Behavior Analysis in Practice, 2021 · doi:10.1007/s40617-021-00597-1