AN INTER-CORRELATIONAL STUDY OF THE READING COMPONENTS IN PROFILING AND GENERATING A COGNITIVE EQUATION FOR THE READING PERFORMANCE OF STUDENTS WITH AUTISM

Reading is a multifaceted process consisting of many interacting components. A plethora of research is available on reading. Yet, there is inadequate exploration, which ascertains the effects of the interaction of different reading components and how they affect the reading performance of students with autism. This inter-correlational research study examined how five different components, namely, Reading Experience, Word Reading, Sentence Reading, Reading Comprehension and Reading Attitude interrelate with each other. We proposed a cognitive equation of reading process that illustrated the effects of these components on 17 Primary 4 students (13 boys and 4 girls, aged between 9 and 10 years) with high-functioning autism, currently attending mainstream schools. Among the five components, the inter-correlation reliability coefficient between Word Reading and Sentence Reading showed significant and positive relationship. Word Reading and Reading Comprehension which showed moderate reliability followed this. Reading Experience correlated reliably with Reading Comprehension. However, Reading Attitude was least correlated with the other components of the reading process. We recommended pedagogical intervention