Enhancing Reading Comprehension for Students with Autism

This study examined the impact priming has on answering “right there” questions following the QAR frameworks for students with autism. Research was conducted in a 12:1:4 middle school classroom where the curriculum focuses on life skills instruction. Data was collected through a student questionnaire, parent conversation, classroom observations, and three individual work sessions with the student. The data shows priming to be a successful strategy to increase reading comprehension. A surprising discovery was when introducing new material to the student with autism, explicit/direct instruction across settings greatly impacted the student‟s performance. Through the review of theliterature and the findings of this case study, three themes emerged: student dependence, phrasing and the importance of structure in the reading process for students with autism