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

Children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and hyperlexia (HPL) have both advanced word reading skills and a reading comprehension disorder, alongside impaired oral language. We developed a unique, parent-supported, tablet-based intervention aiming to improve oral and reading comprehension at the word-, phrase- and sentence-level, for preschoolers with ASD and hyperlexia (ASD + HPL). English-speaking preschoolers (N = 30) with ASD + HPL (N = 8), ASD without HPL (N = 7) and typical development (N = 15) underwent a 6-week no-intervention period followed by a 6-week intervention period. Findings revealed a significant increase in reading comprehension scores for the group with ASD + HPL as compared to the TD group (p = .023). Gains were also found for receptive but not expressive language for all groups. Implications for early intervention for preschoolers with ASD + HPL are discussed.