Early Reading Comprehension Intervention for Preschoolers with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Hyperlexia

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Clinical Psychology
• Speech-Language Pathology

Background:

• Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and hyperlexia (HPL) exhibit advanced word recognition but struggle with reading comprehension and oral language.
• Early identification and intervention are crucial for improving language and literacy outcomes in this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the effectiveness of a novel, parent-supported, tablet-based intervention designed to enhance oral and reading comprehension in preschoolers with ASD and HPL.
• To compare the intervention's impact on language and comprehension skills in children with ASD+HPL, ASD without HPL, and typically developing (TD) children.

Main Methods:

• A 6-week intervention study involving 30 English-speaking preschoolers: 8 with ASD+HPL, 7 with ASD without HPL, and 15 TD children.
• Participants underwent a 6-week non-intervention period followed by a 6-week tablet-based intervention focusing on word-, phrase-, and sentence-level comprehension.
• Pre- and post-intervention assessments measured reading comprehension and oral language (receptive and expressive).

Main Results:

• Children with ASD+HPL showed a statistically significant increase in reading comprehension scores compared to the TD group (p = .023).
• All participating groups demonstrated gains in receptive language skills.
• No significant improvements were observed in expressive language skills across any group.

Conclusions:

• The parent-supported, tablet-based intervention is a promising tool for improving reading comprehension in preschoolers with ASD and HPL.
• Targeted interventions can positively impact language and literacy development in children with ASD, particularly those with co-occurring hyperlexia.
• Further research is warranted to explore the long-term effects and optimize expressive language interventions for this population.