Comparing Reading Comprehension Interventions for Middle School Students With Autism: An Alternating Treatment Study.

다국어 초록 (Multilingual Abstract)

Reading comprehension is a critical academic skill that permeates all academic subjects. Students with autism spectrum disorder are more likely to struggle with reading comprehension, especially as they enter secondary education. Therefore, evidence-based interventions to support middle school students with autism in developing reading comprehension skills are needed. The current alternating treatment study directly compared two research-supported interventions in a group setting: a graphic organizer (story map) and a cognitive strategy (think before, while, and after reading; TWA). Participants demonstrated greater accuracy in responding to comprehension questions while using the interventions in comparison to baseline and no-intervention. Two students demonstrated greater performance while using the story map in comparison to the TWA strategy. No significant difference between the two interventions was identified for three participants. Interventions were equally beneficial for improving factual comprehension performance. The story map was associated with greater performance in answering inferential questions two participants, while the TWA strategy was associated with greater inferential comprehension for one participant. The current study suggests both interventions are promising for this population. However, more research is needed to identify ways in which skill acquisition can be supported while using either intervention strategy.