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Targeting Oral Language and Listening Comprehension Development for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A School-Based Pilot Study

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Abstract

This study investigates the effects of an integrated oral language and listening comprehension intervention for early elementary students with ASD. Students (n = 43) were randomly assigned to intervention or control comparison conditions, with intervention students receiving instruction in small groups of 3 or 4. Groups were led by special education classroom teachers 4 days per week across 20 weeks in the school year. Significant group differences were detected on measures of expressive vocabulary, narrative ability, and listening comprehension. This study provides preliminary evidence of the intervention’s feasibility and effectiveness for intervening in language and early reading skills for students with ASD.

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Acknowledgments

Alyssa R. Henry received support during the drafting of this manuscript from a Postdoctoral Research Fellow Training Program Grant from the National Center for Special Education Research at the Institute of Education Sciences (R324B180034). We are extremely grateful to the teachers and students who took part in this study.

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  1. Curry School of Education and Human Development, University of Virginia, 405 Emmet Street, Charlottesville, VA, 22904, USA

    Alyssa R. Henry & Emily J. Solari

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Henry, A.R., Solari, E.J. Targeting Oral Language and Listening Comprehension Development for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: A School-Based Pilot Study. J Autism Dev Disord 50, 3763–3776 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-020-04434-2

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