Pre-school Skills and School-Age Reading Comprehension in Children on the Autism Spectrum: A Preliminary Investigation

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Published 17th March 2023

This study investigated whether reading-related skills in pre-school may link to later reading success in autistic students. The research team found preliminary evidence that these early skills were significantly associated in this preliminary small-scale study. More research is needed to understand autism-specific predictors and larger samples to draw stronger conclusions. Neverthless, further research in this area provides avenues for identification of children at risk of difficulties at school before experiencing challenges which could be used to facilitate success instead.

Abstract

We explored reading comprehension development in children on the spectrum from pre-school to the first (YOS1) and third year of schooling (YOS3). Children were first assessed on meaning-related skills in pre-school. Forty-one children completed follow-up assessments of reading comprehension, reading accuracy, and listening comprehension in YOS1. Nineteen returned for assessments of reading accuracy, reading comprehension, and listening comprehension in YOS3. Children showed poorer reading comprehension than reading accuracy at both timepoints. Reading comprehension, reading accuracy, and listening comprehension were significantly concurrently correlated. Pre-school receptive vocabulary was a significant predictor of YOS3 reading comprehension. Results from this preliminary investigation highlight the potential for early identification of children on the spectrum at risk for reading comprehension difficulties.

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Authors

Jessica Paynter

Dr

Marleen Westerveld

Speech Pathologist