Wait a second!
More handpicked essays just for you.
More handpicked essays just for you.
Processes of reading
Don’t take our word for it - see why 10 million students trust us with their essay needs.
Recommended: Processes of reading
Introduction
The purpose of this study is to determine if there is an effective strategy for teaching reading comprehension for learners with autism that can be implemented in a public school classroom. As an autistic support teacher for six years, I have seen students with autism struggle with reading comprehension. Hours are spent on implementing direct instruction in order that students will be able to decode text on grade level. Often some students will be able to decode text at their instructional grade level, but are unable to answer a question about what happened in a passage they just read. It is evident that the students face a struggle understanding what they read. Ricketts (2011) noted that the point of reading is to comprehend what is in the text not simply to decode the words on a page.
There are different types of questions that can be asked of students when assessing reading comprehension. Explicit questions can be asked as well as questions that require students to make inferences. In one study (as cited by Williamson, P., Carnahan, C., & Jacobs, J., 2012) Myles and her colleagues found that students with autism were able to answer questions that were found in the text rather than inferential questions. This suggests that students answer questions more fluently when they are able to return to the text for their information.
When I ask comprehension questions of my students, they will often respond by repeating the last word or two of the sentence that they just read. Williamson, Carnahan, and Jacobs (2012) state that “many individuals with autism spectrum disorder may hyperfocus on minute, and frequently insignificant, details rather than on the big picture, challenging their ability to comprehend an...
... middle of paper ...
...ism Developmental
Disorder. 40, 890-902. doi: 10.1007/s10803-010-0938-6
Ricketts, J. (2011). Research Review: Reading comprehension in developmental disorders of language and communication. The Journal of Child Psychology and
Psychiatry, 52:11, 1111-1123. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-7610.2011.02438.x
Whalon, K. Otaiba S., & Delano, M. (2009). Evidence-based reading instruction for individuals with autism spectrum disorders. Focus on autism and other developmental disabilities. 24(1), 3-16. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2808040/ Williamson, P., Carnahan, C., & Jacobs, J. (2012). Reading Comprehension
Profiles of High-Functioning Students on the Autism Spectrum: A
Grounded Theory. Council for Exceptional Children. 78(4), 449-469.
Retrieved from http://cec.metapress.com/content/34160467741v7586/?p=b8611d8276bf4 51795de3e53dbfa163e&pi=3
Those with an autism spectrum disorder (ASD) see the world in a diverse way; teachers and adults need to recognize this. Robison gives examples of his childhood where he misinterpreted information from others including social cues, as well as instructions. He was in these situations punished either socially or academically.
Stephanie Lindsey the author of the article Autism and Education addresses some serious issues in the education system between the special needs students and the highly gifted students. Stephanie writes the article based off her children and how they are treated in school. Her son has autism, which affects his capability to learn, speak, and to train himself when it comes to bathroom use. Also never being alone in school due to him having a personal aid alongside him with special classes he is treaded with a different type of education. Her daughter on the other hand tests in the 95th percentile nationwide on standardized testing. She’s twelve and her capability of progressing information and taking complex ideas apart and putting them back together to form new thoughts is like no normal twelve year old. She reads entire novels, solves Sudoku puzzles, and also participates in her school
In this book you will have a chance to learn what might be going on in the mind of a child with autism. When you are dealing with a child who has autism, you can become extremely frustrated and wonder if they understand anything you say. Actually, This book has answered many questions for me by giving answers from the mind of this autistic boy. He shows you that his mind is thinking and he does understand what you are saying. Author manag...
Stanberry, K., & Swanson, L. (2009). Effective Reading Interventions for Kids With Learning Disabilities. In LD online. Retrieved January 13, 2014
As reported by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the rate of children being diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders has risen drastically, to an estimated 1 in 68 children. (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 2014) In order to address this growing phenomenon, educators in the New York City Department of Education – the largest public school district in the country – conducted a study of the growing number of higher functioning children with ASD attending New York City public schools. “Led by District 15 Superintendent Carmen Farina, with support from Dorothy Siegel and Shirley Cohen, the group studied the research findings of the National Research Council’s rep...
Reading comprehension is a skill that has to be learned by most of the population. This includes adults that have been reading for many years. There is a difference between reading and reading comprehension. Read is defined as, “to look at and understand the meaning of letters, words, or symbols” (Read, 2014). Comprehension is defined as, “the act or action of grasping with intellect” (Comprehension, 2014). Even as an adult, people may have difficulties with reading comprehension. There can be visual learning disorders such as dyslexia. There are many learning techniques and strategies that can negate or even overcome these visual learning disorders. This paper will discuss a few techniques and strategies that when used can improve reading comprehension such as vocabulary building, effective reading, and reading strategies. With these techniques the road block of dyslexia may no longer be an issue.
Every year there are more and more children born with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and there is more of a need for accommodation for their needs. “The future will likely present teachers with even more students with learning disabilities” (Gerstle and Walsh 35). With these numbers increasing, it is important for teachers and the people around them to understand their struggles and needs. Children and adults with ASD struggle in many areas. They have difficulties taking on daily activities that most people take for granted. There are variations in the severity of these disorders. Some people are very high functioning and have little to no problem performing daily activities, as well as completing complex ones. However, many people with ASD suffer from severe forms of the disorder and cannot care for themselves. No matter the severity, people with autism get support and some form of education, whether it be to care for themselves, or to become educated and eventually contribute to society. Those with moderate to high functioning ASD go to school and some eventually go on to further their education. Despite the struggles specific to each person, they can still be taught effective writing skills. To teach these individuals proper writing skills, it is crucial for educators to understand them and know how to teach them. There are many methods of teaching for educators to use to fit the specific needs of their students. Children and adults with autism spectrum disorders can still be taught effective writing skills through understanding and cooperation of teachers, proven methods of teaching and continuous support.
Williams et al., 2002 C. Williams, B. Wright, G. Callaghan, B. Coughlan Do children with autism learn to read more readily by computer assisted instruction or traditional book methods? Autism, 6 (2002), pp. 71–91
Dempsey, I. & Foreman, P. ( 2001). A Review of Educational Approaches for Individuals with Autism. International Journal of Disability, Development and Education, 48 (1), 105-116.
According to Temple et. Al, there are components for reading. “Reading is the act of getting meaning from a written text.” (Temple & Ogle & Crawford & Freppon, 2005, p.7) There are steps to learn to read; first step is “word recognition.” This activity is that readers recognize letters and words. Next step is “phonemes” which is the smallest sounds in language. Readers who in “phonemic awareness” are able to know how to make sounds with letters. In “comprehension” step, readers are able to understand what they are reading. They can improve reading ability by expanding knowledge of vocabulary. If they can understand words faster than previous time and accurately, they are on “reading fluency” step. The last step, which is “interpretation” or also known as “critical reading”, is a time when they are able to understand author’s thought and mind by reading their words and arguments. National Reading Panel categorized literacy by areas of alphabetic, fluency, comprehension, teacher education and reading instruction, computer technology, and reading instruction. Alphabetic includes
That is the goal of being a fluent reader. Mrs. Baughman uses the components of a story to teach comprehension. The components of the story are the setting, the plot, the conflict, and the resolution. If students can easily pick out the answers for the components of a story then their comprehension is growing. Another way to teach comprehension is by using graphic organizers like Venn-diagrams, story maps, and cause and effect charts. Teachers can also ask questions to make sure students understand the text. Not only does the teacher need to ask questions, but so do the students. If a student can ask questions, and with guidance answer it themselves they understand the material. The same goes with summarizing texts. A good way to check comprehension is to see how well the students summarized the texts. Doing so, can show if they really understand the material or they are just reading without thinking about it. Group work is a good way for students to share their thoughts on texts and help explain it to others in an easier way. If students do not comprehend text then their reading skills for the future will not be good. Teaching comprehension is not by just asking questions. There are many ways to check it that give a better view on how students are
Jordan, R., & Powell, S. (1995). Understanding and Teaching Children with Autism. New York: Wiley.
In this information–driven age, preparing students to read a variety of texts with complete understanding should likely be one of our educational system’s highest priorities. Understanding is more than just the ability to produce information on demand (knowledge) or the ability to perform learned routines (skills). “Understanding is the ability to think and act flexibly with what one knows.” (Active Learning Practice for Schools, n. d.) A review of the literature in the area of reading comprehension of elementary-age students shows two principle areas of focus. There is a body of literature that examines the development of proficient vs. struggling comprehenders and another body of literature that compares methodologies for teaching reading comprehension.
Reading is an essential skill that needs to be addressed when dealing with students with disabilities. Reading is a skill that will be used for a student’s entire life. Therefore, it needs to be an important skill that is learned and used proficiently in order for a student to succeed in the real world. There are many techniques that educators can use to help improve a student’s reading comprehension. One of these skills that needs to be directly and explicitly taught is learning how to read fluently for comprehension. “To comprehend texts, the reader must be a fluent decoder and not a laborious, word-by-word reader” (Kameenui, 252). Comprehension can be difficult for students with learning disabilities because they tend to be the students that are reading below grade level. One strategy is to incorporate the student’s background knowledge into a lesson. This may require a bit of work, but it will help the students relate with the information being pres...
Just, M.A., & Carpenter, P.A. (2010). The psychology of reading and language comprehension. Boston, MA: Allyn and Bacon, Inc.