The Effects of a Shared Reading Intervention on Narrative Story Comprehension and Task Engagement of Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder

• In Event: Enhancing Communication in Students With Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

Although diagnostic criteria for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) do not directly imply reading difficulties, students with ASD often struggle for making inferences in social situations and understanding emotional statuses of characters to comprehend the story. This current study investigated effects of a shared reading intervention designed to improve the narrative story comprehension and task engagement of three 6-8-year old children with ASD by using a single-case multiple baseline design across participants. The multicomponent intervention included before, during, and after reading strategies (i.e., topic anticipation, dynamic reading, story retelling). The results indicated that all participants showed increased reading comprehension and task engagement during shared reading sessions, and improved outcomes were maintained overtime. Implications for practical implementation and future research are discussed.

Authors

• So Yeon Kim, Purdue University

• Mandy Rispoli, Purdue University

• Catharine Lory, Purdue University

• Emily Victoria Gregori, Purdue University