Dr. Josh Plavnick, Dr. Troy Mariage, Dr. Julie Thompson, Dr.

Lori Skibbe , Dr. Carol Sue Englert, Katie Johnson, Kara

Constantine, and Savana Bak
DATE: February 10th
11:00 a.m.-12:30 p.m.
Erickson Room: 133F

Toward Comprehensive Reading Instruction for Children with
Moderate to Severe Autism Spectrum Disorder
This session describes a series of intervention studies designed to improve the reading
outcomes of students with moderate to severe autism spectrum disorder in grades K-3.
Historically, this is a group of children who have received minimal reading instruction for many
reasons, including high levels of co-occurring intellectual disabilities and/or speech and
language disorders. The studies that will be presented employed single-case research designs
to (1) identify effective behavior supports that mediate interaction with a computer based
reading program, Headsprout Early Reading, (2) establish teacher-administered instructional
supplements to enhance development of reading skills, and (3) construct novel programming
for the most severely affected participants to teach basic engagement with reading
instruction. The session will explore components of the reading intervention; the experimental
designs used in the studies; and outcomes in the areas of academic engagement, interfering
behavior, rates of correct responding, and preliminary analyses of visual behavior (i.e., eye
tracking data) for children receiving the intervention. The potential replicability of the
instructional program will also be discussed.

Literacy Colloquy is proud to present this outstanding panel of scholars from
the Department of Counseling, Educational Psychology and Special Education.


2014-2015 Literacy Colloquy Presentation