Effects of Direct Instruction on Reading Comprehension for Individuals with Autism or Developmental Disabilities

• Published in: Education and training in autism and developmental disabilities Vol. 53; no. 2; pp. 176 - 191
• Main Authors: Head, Cynthia N., Flores, Margaret M., Shippen, Margaret E.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Arlington The Council for Exceptional Children, Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities 01.06.2018; Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities, Council for Exceptional Children; Division on Autism and Developmental Disabilities
• Subjects: Academic Achievement; Autism; Corrective Reading; Curricula; Curriculum Based Assessment; Decoding (Reading); Developmental Disabilities; Direct Instruction; Disability; Educational Experiments; Grade 10; Grade 5; Individualized Education Programs; Intervention; Learning; Learning disabilities; Middle School Students; Outcomes of Education; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Preschool education; Pretests Posttests; Public Schools; Reading Achievement; Reading Comprehension; Reading instruction; Reading Programs; Reading Skills; Reading Tests; Rural Schools; Scores; Skill Development; Skills; Statistical Analysis; Students; Studies; Teaching Methods; United States > US
• ISSN: 2154-1647

This study investigated the effects of a Direct Instruction (DI) reading comprehension program on the reading comprehension skills of students with autism spectrum disorder or developmental delay. Although the effectiveness of DI programs has been well documented in disability and instructional literature, effectiveness of DI for individuals with autism and developmental delay is sparse. This study examined the effects of Corrective Reading Comprehension: B1, a reading comprehension program, on students' acquisition of specific reading comprehension skills (parts of speech, combining sentences with and, identifying contradictions, and identifying relevant/irrelevant information). A single subject multiple-probe across behaviors design was employed to investigate whether a functional relation existed between DI and reading comprehension for this sample. A functional relation between the DI and reading comprehension was demonstrated for each participant across all behavioral conditions. Additional data were collected in the area of reading comprehension using standardized and curriculum-based measures.