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

Abstract

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. Five middle school students with autism spectrum disorder 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.

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

“…Overall, 196 students from 5 to 17 years old participated in the 25 studies included in this review. Regarding the number of participants: two of the studies were individual case studies [ 29 , 37 ]; most of them (a total of 16 articles) were carried out with two to five participants [ 21 , 24 , 25 , 26 , 27 , 28 , 30 , 31 , 33 , 34 , 35 , 36 , 39 , 42 , 43 , 45 ]; in two articles, there were from 10 to 19 participants [ 32 , 40 ]; and, finally, in five studies, there were 20 or more participants [ 22 , 23 , 38 , 41 , 44 ].…”

“…Regarding the specific reading comprehension sub-processes trained in the interventions, some studies worked on various sub-processes at the same time, others worked on only one specific sub-process, and others did not specify the reading comprehension sub-processes included in the intervention. Considering the studies that specify the sub-processes addressed: five of the studies focused on understanding inferences [ 29 , 30 , 34 , 35 , 38 ]; five other studies worked on understanding the main idea [ 34 , 38 , 40 , 41 , 43 ]; four studies focused on identifying the structure and relationship between the elements of the text [ 27 , 34 , 40 , 41 ]; three interventions practiced “Wh questions” [ 21 , 25 , 38 ]; three other studies used comprehension skills related to story elements [ 26 , 36 , 45 ]; two studies worked on analogies [ 30 , 31 ]; two other studies used paraphrasing [ 34 , 38 ]; one of the interventions focused on understanding metaphors [ 37 ]; another study worked on reading fluency and section-based and topography-based comprehension tasks [ 24 ]; one study focused on a multicomponent reading comprehension intervention [ 28 ]; one study worked on parts of speech, combining sentences with and, identifying contradictions, and identifying relevant/irrelevant information [ 33 ]; another study worked on question development and anaphoric cueing [ 42 ]; and another study focused on metacognitive and cognitive strategies for improving comprehension [ 39 ].…”

“…Regarding the type of intervention used: seven studies used direct instruction [ 27 , 30 , 31 , 32 , 33 , 40 , 41 ]; six studies used collaborative, guided, or shared reading [ 21 , 35 , 36 , 39 , 43 , 44 ]; three studies used answering questions [ 24 , 25 , 45 ]; one study used instruction in the use of digital concept maps of narrative texts read aloud by the researcher [ 26 ]; and another study used the Think While After (TWA) strategy [ 34 ]. Some studies compared two different interventions: group sessions versus direct instruction [ 22 ]; individual sessions versus traditional intervention in school [ 23 ]; direct instruction from the teacher versus instruction assisted by a digital tablet [ 28 ]; and adding content related to the participants’ persistent interests versus texts without these added contents [ 29 ].…”

How Grades 4 to 8 Teachers Can Deliver Intensive Vocabulary and Reading Comprehension Interventions to Students With High-Functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…Main idea-summarization interventions are commonly featured parts of multicomponent reading comprehension interventions, which integrate essential components of reading (e.g., Solis et al, 2018). Promising evidence suggests that when explicit main idea-summarization interventions, with appropriate questioning strategies, are taught to students with HFASD, that reading comprehension performance is enhanced (e.g., Åsberg & Sandberg, 2010; Solis et al, 2019). As such, the multicomponent reading intervention incorporates vocabulary and fluency interventions and a main idea-summarization intervention.…”

More than de minimis: FAPE in the Post Endrew F. Era

“…Using a simultaneous replication single-case design, Solis et al (2019) investigated the effects of a multi-component intervention on the reading comprehension of five adolescents receiving special education services for autism spectrum disorder (ASD). In this study, intervention components included student text choice, explicit and discussion based vocabulary instruction, and main idea summarization strategy instruction.…”