The ASA's 39th National Conference on Autism Spectrum Disorders of ASA

The Westin Kierland Resort & Spa, Scottsdale, AZ

http://www.autism-society.org/
For a complete author index with session numbers, please click here
Saturday, July 12, 2008: 10:45 AM-12:00 PM
Tallahassee 1
#3337- Improving Reading Comprehension for Good Decoders with Autism Spectrum Disorders
The core features of autism may also impact reading comprehension, affecting learning at every level. Few intervention strategies are tailor-made especially for readers with Autism Spectrum Disorders who are good decoders with poor understanding, but intervention in this area is a key to progress, particularly from about 4th grade on. This session will demonstrate how the features of ASD affect literacy and comprehension and offer specific, practical strategies to improve reading comprehension for those with ASD.

Presenter:Emily D. Iland, M.A., Author, Advocate, Consultant, President, AS Los Angeles - Emily Iland is the mother of a son with autism, a leader in the autism field, and a professional autism consultant. She is the co-author and translator of Los Trastornos del Espectro de Autismo A-Z, winner of the Autism Society Outstanding Literary Work of 2006 and the International Latino Book Award.
 
The most effective strategies and interventions for learners with Autism Spectrum Disorder will be tailored to their strengths while addressing their needs. Many strategies that are effective for students with learning disabilities are not productive for students with ASD. In the area of reading comprehension, for example, activation of prior knowledge backfired, but anaphoric cuing (attaching pronouns to the antecedent nouns while reading) was effective. Educational professionals and parents need to know that many recommended educational techniques have not included students with AS in the research. Research-based best practices will be highlighted based on the limited research findings available.

Promising strategies will be described in detail. Ideas to expand language and literacy include vocabulary development, captions, highlighting, and personalizing. Explicit strategies for teaching summarization and inference will be shared. Finally, a litmus test to guide educational professionals and parents in selecting strategies will be offered.

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