Children completed standardized measures of social communication, oral language, and reading abilities. Method: Children (ages 8–14 years, M = 10.89, SD = 1.17) with autism spectrum disorder diagnoses ( n = 19) and typically developing peers ( n = 21) participated. The current study was the first to investigate parent-reports of children with autism spectrum disorder’s fiction and non-fiction book preferences and whether these relate to individual differences in social communication, oral language, and/or reading abilities. However, more research is needed that intentionally examines language status, evaluates reading comprehension at targeted ages or narrower age ranges, and/or examines language and reading development longitudinally.īackground & aims: Anecdotal evidence suggests that individuals with autism spectrum disorder prefer non-fiction books over fiction books.

The age and language status (language impaired or not) of a child are emerging as important factors for what to assess and consider for intervention.

Speech-language pathologists have expertise and play a critical role in assessing and intervening on these components. To conclude, a summary with general clinical implications, case examples, and recommendations for future research across all components is offered.Ĭonclusions: Reading comprehension in ASD may be affected by any one or several components in any given individual. At the end of each section, key takeaways are provided. The review is situated from a multicomponent theoretical view based on the “direct and indirect effects of reading” model that builds on the familiar “simple view of reading.” Each component, including word reading, listening comprehension, morphosyntax, vocabulary, working memory, comprehension monitoring, inferencing, and theory of mind, is separately reviewed, with consideration of the current evidence for their contribution to reading comprehension in ASD. Method: This tutorial reviews current literature on profiles and predictors of reading comprehension in ASD. The purpose of this tutorial is to provide an overview from a multicomponent view on the many predictors that may contribute to reading comprehension difficulties in ASD. Purpose: Reading comprehension is consistently poor in many school-age children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This work has included publications on disseminating research through social media and an evaluation of national access to speech and language treatment in children with speech and language disorders, and co-editing a forum on implementation science in CSD. My work also aims to advance clinical-practice research and implementation science in communication sciences and disorders. The overarching goal of my work is to determine profiles of strength and weakness in comprehension and underlying skills in order to identify targeted areas for effective clinical treatment. I employ eye tracking and text analysis methodologies as part of this work. Current projects are focused on investigating the role of spoken language and social communication in story comprehension with an emphasis on determining child and text influences. My specific research interests are in the contributions of different cognitive, linguistic, and social communication factors in the development of listening and reading comprehension abilities across the autism spectrum. My research focuses on spoken and written language comprehension in autistic individuals across the lifespan. in speech-language pathology from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 2011, and I worked as a speech-language pathologist at the Communication Development Center for 6 years. in 2016 in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Wisconsin-Madison under the mentorship of Dr.

I completed a post-doctoral fellowship at the Callier Center at the University of Texas at Dallas from 2016-2018. I earned my Ph.D. I am an assistant professor in Speech-Language-Hearing:Sciences and Disorders at the University of Kansas.

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