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STRENGTHENING READING COMPREHENSION for STUDENTS with ASD by Kari L. Johnson B

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STRENGTHENING READING COMPREHENSION for STUDENTS with ASD by Kari L. Johnson B READING COMPREHENSION THINKING BEYOND THE WORDS: STRENGTHENING READING COMPREHENSION FOR STUDENTS WITH ASD by Kari L. Johnson B.A., Simon Fraser University, 1997 PROJECT SUBMITTED IN PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF THE REQUIREMENTS FOR THE DEGREE OF MASTER OF EDUCATION IN SPECIAL EDUCATION UNIVERSITY OF NORTHERN BRITISH COLUMBIA October 2019 © Kari L. Johnson, 2019 READING COMPREHENSION ii Abstract The purpose of this project is to provide a handbook for classroom and special education teachers. This handbook is to assist teachers helping their students with ASD to develop reading comprehension skills. This project begins with background information regarding ASD and prevalence rates for ASD along with a discussion about reading comprehension. A literature review outlines the difficulties students with ASD have with reading comprehension and examines the specific areas with which students struggle. An outline of how the project is structured is given and finally a handbook is presented that outlines strategies for teachers to use for each area of deficit which students may encounter. The handbook provides a variety of strategies for each area identified. READING COMPREHENSION iii TABLE OF CONTENTS Abstract................................................................................................................................ii Table of Contents................................................................................................................iii List of Tables.......................................................................................................................v List of Figures.....................................................................................................................vi Acknowledgement.............................................................................................................vii Chapter 1: Introduction..................................................................................................1 Significance of the Project...........................................................................2 Background..................................................................................................3 Personal Location........................................................................................4 Research Question.......................................................................................5 Project Overview.........................................................................................5 Chapter Summary........................................................................................6 Chapter 2: Literature Review........................................................................................8 Autism Spectrum Disorder..........................................................................8 The Reading Process..................................................................................11 ASD and Reading Comprehension Difficulties.........................................14 Difficulties for Students with ASD............................................................17 Theory of Mind..............................................................................18 Weak Central Coherence...............................................................20 Executive Dysfunction...................................................................22 Hyperlexia......................................................................................23 Language Impairments...................................................................24 READING COMPREHENSION iv ASD and Reading Comprehension Handbook .........................................25 Chapter Summary......................................................................................29 Chapter 3: Research Design........................................................................................32 Methodology..............................................................................................33 Method.......................................................................................................34 Data Analyis...............................................................................................35 Conclusion.................................................................................................39 Chapter 4: Results, Discussion and the Handbook......................................................42 Part 1: Reading comprehension and Autism Spectrum Disorder..............48 Part 2: ASD and reading comprehension struggles...................................48 Part 3: Strategies for specific deficits........................................................49 Handbook...................................................................................................50 Chapter 5: Conclusion, Implications, Recommendations and Lessons Learned....................................................................................................109 References........................................................................................................................114 READING COMPREHENSION v List of Tables Table 1: ASD and Reading Comprehension and Reasons why Students Struggle............45 Table 2: ASD and Research Design Background Research..............................................46 READING COMPREHENSION vi List of Figures Figure 1: Initial coding frame for Thinking Beyond the Words: Strengthening Reading Comprehension for Students with ASD..............................................................43 Figure 2: Modified coding frame for Thinking Beyond the Words: Strengthening Reading Comprehension for Students with ASD..............................................................44 Figure 3: Second coding frame for Thinking Beyond the Words: Strengthening Reading Comprehension for Students with ASD..............................................................44 Figure 4: Steps for using Thinking Beyond the Words: Strengthening Reading Comprehension for Students with ASD............................................................112 READING COMPREHENSION vii Acknowledgements A huge thank you to my family, Jim and Kevin. Your encouragement and support is what kept me going! Jen and Shelly, thanks for the laughs and the encouragement! I know I never would have finished this process without you both! Thank you Dr. Kitchenham, my supervisor, for your suggestions, support and patience! I appreciate all you have done to help me get this project back on track and finished! I am also thankful to my committee members, Lynda Struthers and Dr. John Sherry. I appreciate all your feedback! READING COMPREHENSION 1 Chapter 1: Introduction Reading is defined as a cognitive process in which symbols are deciphered to arrive at meaning. Reading is more than letter recognition. Through this cognitive process information is organized into patterns, which are then recognized and connections are made. This information is then processed, resulting in the comprehension of the meaning of the written text (Norris, 1998). Reading comprehension is the mental process that allows the reader to understand the text. Reading is fundamental to helping individuals find and convey information and is a necessary skill as it helps people to discover new things, to develop the mind and imagination, and to improve both written and spoken communication. Having good reading skills allows individuals to develop good self-images. Students who do not have good reading comprehension skills often struggle with academics (Akbasli, Sahin, & Yaykiran, 2016; Knight & Sartini, 2014). The purpose of reading is to get meaning from text. Without comprehension, reading is just an exercise in recognizing words on a page. Students need to be able to not only identify words but to process those words to understand the meaning being conveyed by those words. Reading comprehension is the cornerstone for understanding much of the information that is presented in classrooms. Whether participating in subject areas ranging from Social Studies to Science, students benefit from having strategies on which to rely on to help them understand printed material (Akbasli et al., 2016; Neufeld, 2005). My project focused on students with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) and reading comprehension. In my 15 years working in Special Education in my present READING COMPREHENSION 2 school district, I have worked with a number of students with ASD who have struggled with reading comprehension. My project examined the reasons for the difficulties these students have and compiled a number of strategies to allow both Special Education teachers and classroom teachers to develop and set up a literate community in the classroom for students with ASD. I argue that, as a teacher, having one resource that compiles multiple ideas and strategies to try with both students with ASD, and other students who may struggle with reading comprehension, could be very useful. Significance of the Project Students with ASD deserve to receive quality education that addresses their needs within the classroom. With the recorded increase in the number of students diagnosed with ASD, approximately 1 in 66 children and youth in Canada (Public Health Agency of Canada [PHAC], 2018), and therefore, the increased number of students with ASD in general education classrooms, there is a need for more resources to help guide classroom teachers to support students with ASD. Past research outlines the consistency in reading comprehension
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