A Computer Assisted Repeated Reading Intervention with Children with High Functioning Autism

Abstract

In recent years there has been a growing interest in autism and information about the disorder has frequently been covered in magazines and newspapers, and on television (Kantrowitz & Scelfo, 2006). According to the Autism Society of America (ASA) (2006), autism is the fastest growing developmental disability with projected annual growth of 10% to 17%. Although there has been much interest in understanding autism, there has been much less research focused on instructional practices to enhance their academic achievement (Howlin, Magiati, & Charman, 2009). Children with autism often exhibit an inability to interpret and comprehend information and these difficulties with comprehension are evident not only when attempting to interpret verbal, nonverbal, and social communication, but in written language as well (Myles-Smith & Simpson, 2004; Saldana & Frith, 2007). However, research on effective reading practices with children with autism is limited (Whalon, Al Otaiba, & Delano, 2009). The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of two repeated reading interventions (storybook and computer) on the listening comprehension of five children with autism. A single subject randomized intervention design with all children participating in both interventions was used. In the storybook intervention, children read along twice a story with the researcher. While in the computer intervention, the child followed the same procedures, but read along with the assistance of the computer. Listening comprehension was measured by analyzing retellings and responses to detail and inferential questions. Findings indicated that three children performed better than would otherwise have been expected on the comprehension questions for both interventions. However, two children did no better than would otherwise have been expected. Neither of the interventions showed more benefit than the other, indicating that the computer intervention may be as effective in increasing children's listening reading comprehension for a number of children with autism. Retelling results were generally low for all of the children. This study was important because it shows that computer assisted instruction as part of a repeated reading intervention may be as beneficial as direct teacher instruction for some children. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone [phone]. Web page: http://www.proquest.com/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]