Effects of Headsprout Early Reading Program on Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder
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Effects of HeadSprout Early Reading Program on Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder DISSERTATION Presented in Partial Fulfillment of the Requirements for the Degree Doctor of Philosophy in the Graduate School of The Ohio State University By Qingqing Xia, M.A. Graduate Program in Educational Studies The Ohio State University 2019 Dissertation Committee: Dr. Laurice Joseph, Adviser Dr. Moira Konrad Dr. Sheila Alber-Morgan Copyrighted by Qingqing Xia 2019 Abstract Current literature has suggested that HeadSprout Early Reading is an effective reading curriculum for typical developing students and students identified with reading risk. However, the effectiveness of HeadSprout Early Reading has been examined on only four participants with low-incidence disabilities. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to investigate the effects of HeadSprout Early Reading as a supplementary reading curriculum on reading skills of students with autism spectrum disorders. The researcher used a single-subject multiple probe design across three kindergartens identified with autism spectrum disorder. Participants’ acquisition of letter-sound correspondence and nonsense word fluency was measured through verbal response to presented letter/patterns of letters flash cards and The Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills Nonsense Word Fluency. Visual analysis and descriptive statistics were used to evaluate the effectiveness of HeadSprout Early reading. Results indicated that HeadSprout Early Reading can improve letter-sound correspondence for individuals with autism. ii Dedication Dedicated to my family iii Acknowledgments I would like to express my gratitude to my research advisor, Dr. Joseph, as well as my dissertation defense committee: Dr. Alber-Morgan and Dr. Konrad. All of you have helped me in developing this research design. iv Vita 2010- 2014…………………………...Bachelor of Arts in General Psychology The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 2014 – 2015………………………..........Master of Arts in School Psychology The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 2015- 2018…………………………………………Mental Health Consultant Child Development Council of Franklin County Head Start, Columbus, OH 2018- Present………………………………………..School Psychology Intern Dallas Independent School District, Dallas, TX v Publications Ginns, D., Joseph, L. M., Tanaka, M., & Xia, Q. (2019). Supplemental phonological awareness and phonics instruction for Spanish-speaking English learners: Implications for school psychologists. Contemporary School Psychology, 23, 101- 111. Ross, K., Hall, J., Xia, Q., & Dahlstrom, C. (2017), SASP Chapter Spotlight – The Ohio State University. The School Psychologist, 71, 38-41. Xia, Q., Ross, K., Philson, S., Amspaugh, L., Myrtil, M., Joseph, L., Alber-Morgan, S. (2016). Evaluating Tier 1 Open Court Reading Foundations Skills Program on DIBELS Benchmark performance for Children Enrolled in an Urban School District. Ohio School Psychologists Association. (Abstract) Amspaugh, L., Ross, K., Xia, Q., & Myrtil, M. (2016). Effects of a Tier-One Reading Program Across Primary Grades. National Association of School Psychologists. (Abstract) Major Field: Educational Studies vi Table of Contents Abstract .......................................................................................................................... ii Dedication ..................................................................................................................... iii Acknowledgement ......................................................................................................... iv Vita .................................................................................................................................v Publications ................................................................................................................... vi List Of Tables ...............................................................................................................xiv List Of Figures .............................................................................................................. xv Chapter 1: Introduction ....................................................................................................1 Definition Of Autism Spectrum Disorder .....................................................................1 Reading Skills For Students With Autism ....................................................................3 Prereading Skills ........................................................................................................4 Decoding....................................................................................................................5 Vocabulary.................................................................................................................6 Fluency ......................................................................................................................6 Comprehension ..........................................................................................................7 Effective Online Reading Instruction For Students With Autism ..................................9 Purpose Of The Study ................................................................................................ 12 vii Significance Of The Study ......................................................................................... 12 Research Questions .................................................................................................... 13 Definitions Of Terms ................................................................................................. 14 Chapter 2: Literature Review ......................................................................................... 15 The Importance Of Beginning Reading Skills ............................................................ 15 The Benefits Of Phonics Instructions ......................................................................... 16 Effects Of Phonics Instruction With Intellectural Disability ....................................... 18 Interventions With Multiple Reading Elements ........................................................ 19 Interventions With Prompting Procedures ................................................................ 19 Effects Of Phonics Instruction With Autism Spectrum Disorder .............................. 20 Findings From Review ............................................................................................. 21 Participants ........................................................................................................... 21 Design ................................................................................................................... 22 Intervention ........................................................................................................... 22 Settings ................................................................................................................. 23 Dependent Variable ............................................................................................... 23 Findings ................................................................................................................ 23 Importance Of Phonics Instruction For Primary Grade Children ................................. 24 Types Of Systematic Phonics Reading Instruction ..................................................... 25 Best Practice With Phoincs Instruction ....................................................................... 28 viii Introduction to HeadSprout Early Reading ................................................................. 30 Online Episodes .................................................................................................... 31 Sprout Stories ........................................................................................................ 31 Flash Cards ........................................................................................................... 32 Systematic Review On Effects Of HeadSprout Early Reading ................................... 33 Results ..................................................................................................................... 33 Participants ........................................................................................................... 34 Settings ................................................................................................................. 35 Independent Variable ............................................................................................ 37 Designs ................................................................................................................. 39 Dependent Measures And Intervention Effects ...................................................... 39 Findings ................................................................................................................ 39 Social Validity ...................................................................................................... 43 Implications And Limitations ................................................................................ 44 Chapter 3: Method ......................................................................................................... 46 Participants ................................................................................................................ 46 Screening ..................................................................................................................