| This study investigated the functional relationship between the Directed Reading-Thinking Activity (DRTA) and the reading comprehension skills of students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) in a single subject reversal design. Students with ASD possess heterogeneous traits and learning styles. While each student with ASD has unique instructional needs, all have primary deficits in language and social skills. Some of these students decode with ease, and some read falteringly. Individuals who are extremely fluent but do not understand what they have read may be exhibiting hyperlexia. Most students with ASD are literal thinkers. In order to serve their needs, reading strategies must address these issues. Visual prompts, structured, multi-sensory instruction, and teacher modeling are beneficial techniques.;Participants were in a middle school multi-age resource setting. These students with ASD were enrolled in a pre-vocational course of study. The DRTA intervention, which occurred in a small group setting, included use of non-linguistic visual supports, such as graphic organizers, pictures, and objects. The purpose of the study was to demonstrate the efficacy of the DRTA on increased reading comprehension skills. Specific skills assessed included making predictions and answering literal and inferential 'wh" questions regarding the text, using graphic and non-linguistic aids.;A pre- and post-intervention survey given to each parent indicated the social validity data of the study. This study also examined teachers' input on the reading attitudes of the participants. A reading inventory and chapter comprehension checks revealed that students with ASD made gains in reading comprehension with the use of the DRTA. |
