Targeting Oral Language and Listening Comprehension Development for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A School-Based Pilot Study

• Published in: Journal of autism and developmental disorders 2020-10, Vol.50 (10), p.3763-3776
• Main Authors: Henry, Alyssa R., Solari, Emily J.
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Auditory Perception - physiology; Autism; Autism Spectrum Disorder - diagnosis; Autism Spectrum Disorder - psychology; Beginning Reading; Behavioral Science and Psychology; Care and treatment; Child; Child and School Psychology; Child, Preschool; Classrooms; Comprehension; Comprehension - physiology; Disabled students; Early intervention; Educational aspects; Elementary School Students; Expressive Language; Feasibility; Female; Health aspects; Humans; Intervention; Language; Language Development; Language Tests; Listening Comprehension; Male; Neurosciences; Oral Language; Original Paper; Pediatrics; Pervasive Developmental Disorders; Pilot Projects; Program Effectiveness; Psychological aspects; Psychology; Public Health; Reading Skills; Schools; Small groups; Special Education; Students; Students - psychology; Teachers; Vocabulary; Vocabulary Development
• ISSN: 0162-3257; 1573-3432
• DOI: 10.1007/s10803-020-04434-2

This study investigates the effects of an integrated oral language and listening comprehension intervention for early elementary students with ASD. Students ( n  = 43) were randomly assigned to intervention or control comparison conditions, with intervention students receiving instruction in small groups of 3 or 4. Groups were led by special education classroom teachers 4 days per week across 20 weeks in the school year. Significant group differences were detected on measures of expressive vocabulary, narrative ability, and listening comprehension. This study provides preliminary evidence of the intervention’s feasibility and effectiveness for intervening in language and early reading skills for students with ASD.