Reading & Other Learning Disabilities

Yes. But many reading specialists have little knowledge of autism and other developmental disabilities. Thus you may want to share this column with them.

The Difference

Diagnosing the reading problems of students with autism is similar to diagnosing the reading problems of all children with reading disabilities. What’s different and often interferes with obtaining a valid, effective diagnosis is the student’s label: autistic. It often evokes stereotypes that prevent a close, fine-grained analysis of the student’s functioning in critical areas of reading, such as word identification, word analysis, oral reading fluency, receptive and expressive language, vocabulary and concept development, and comprehension. Deficits in any one of these areas will adversely influence reading achievement.

The Focus

To get away from the label and focus on the student’s reading-related attributes, reading specialists need to go far beyond standardized testing. For Joshua, a hypothetical twelve year old student with autism, intellectual disabilities, and reading disabilities, the specialist needs to:

• Interview Joshua’s parents and teachers to find out what difficulties he’s having, what he needs to learn, and how he responds to different situations, demands, and reinforcers.
• Review his records to identify problems and possible solutions.
• Observe him in situations in which he’s successful and ones in which he’s not.
• From all of the above, develop a list of instructionally-relevant questions that the evaluation should answer, such as these: What common sight vocabulary words from the Fry List can Joshua recognize within a second of exposure? What written signs in his school and neighborhood can he recognize within a second? Which of these signs does he understand? What does he like to read about? What level materials can he read comfortably, with excellent comprehension? When the teacher speaks to Joshua’s group, how long does he usually attend before his attention wanes and he starts fidgeting? What reinforcers keep him on task for more than eight minutes? What schedule of reinforcement is needed to keep him on task for more than eight minutes? What frustrates him and should be avoided? What time of the day is it best to teach him reading? What schedule of distributed practice is likely to strengthen his memory for what was taught? What reading methods are likely to improve his sight vocabulary of common words? Of common signs?
• Use the list of questions to determine what evaluation procedures to use. For example, interviewing Joshua’s teachers, parents, and Joshua can help answer the question, “What does Joshua like to read about?” Observing him select books can also help. Showing him pictures of common signs and asking him what they say and mean can help answer the “sign” questions. For these questions and many others, standardized tests are inappropriate.
• Teach Joshua to read, using different methods of instruction. See which ones slow his progress and which accelerate it. This can prevent months of wasted instruction with a method that’s unlikely to work.
• Observe and interview the teacher(s) who will likely teach Joshua to read. Identify the teacher’s strengths, weakness, likes, dislikes, management routines, and instructional practices. The aim is not to evaluate the teacher, but to develop a program that helps Joshua and fits the teacher’s likes and ways of doing things.
• Expect the evaluation to take several weeks. It takes considerable time to observe situations in which Joshua is successful and unsuccessful, assess the effectiveness of distributed practice schedules, get photos of neighborhood signs, test Joshua only when he’s alert and cooperative, and do all the other things needed to get a complete picture of his abilities and needs.
• Recommend, if necessary, additional evaluations. The reason is simple: No expert has enough expertise to solve the complex problems that often block the progress of students like Joshua. Progress in reading, for example, depends on good language abilities and cooperative behavior. If Joshua has problems in these areas—problems common for students with his profile—it’s essential to involve a speech and language specialist and a behavioral analyst.

The Product

An excellent reading evaluation, one that’s planned with the help of all the experts needed to identify the student’s needs, can at best produce one thing: A good guess about what’s likely to work. But likely means uncertain. Thus, teachers and other instructional staff must closely monitor the student’s progress so he does not struggle in a well-justified program that’s failing him.

If he’s not making adequate progress, his program may have to change. Perhaps his teacher needs additional training, resources, consultation, or all three. Perhaps the student needs shorter instructional periods, interspersed with brief periods of exercise. And perhaps the problem is not his reading program, but something else. He may need a better night’s sleep or adjustments to his medications. Whatever the reasons, monitoring is essential to identify poor progress. Analysis of relevant data is essential to identify the reasons. Action is essential to accelerate progress. And additional monitoring is essential to assess the changes.

Good Resources for Monitoring Progress

Lemons, C., Sáenz, L., & Stecker, P. (2007). Introduction to Using Curriculum-Based Measurement for Progress Monitoring in Reading. Washington, DC: U.S. Office of Special Education Programs, http://www.studentprogress.org/summer_institute/default.asp.

Rasinski, T. V., & Padak (2005). 3-Minute Reading Assessments, Grades 1-4. NY: Scholastic.

Rasinski, T. V., & Padak (2005). 3-Minute Reading Assessments, Grades 5-8. NY: Scholastic.

Sáenz, L., Stecker,P,, & Lembke, E. (2007). Advanced Application of CBM in Reading: Instructional Decision-Making Strategies. Washington, DC: U.S. Office of Special Education Programs, http://www.studentprogress.org/summer_institute/default.asp.

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