Using Adapted Science eBooks within Shared Reading to Teach Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

• In Event: Improving STEM Education for Students With Disabilities

Abstract

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of adapted science eBooks within shared reading on comprehension and task engagement of high students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) using a single-case multiple probe design. A grade-level science textbook was converted to an eBook consisting of various features (e.g., text-to-speech, summarized sentences, highlighted keywords) and presented on an iPad. The shared reading intervention included before, during, and after reading strategies (i.e., pre-teaching target vocabulary words, sharing information, retelling). Results of this study indicated that all participants demonstrated improvements in comprehension. Despite the longer duration of intervention sessions as compared to baseline sessions, participants exhibited similar or better task engagement with intervention. Practical implementation and future research will be discussed.

Authors

• So Yeon Kim, Purdue University

• Mandy Rispoli, Purdue University

• Catharine Lory, Purdue University

• Danni Wang, Purdue University

• Emily Gregori, Purdue University