Dialogic Reading for Preschoolers with ASD

Young children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD)—with demonstrated weaknesses in social interaction and communication—are often reported to have difficulties engaging in shared reading. These children also have trouble understanding what they read due to impairment in social cognition. Among a range of approaches to shared reading, dialogic reading has been identified as a promising intervention for children with language disorders. It comprises a structured framework of instructional sequence (PEER: prompt, evaluate, expand, and repeat), and specific question prompts (CROWD: completion, recall, open-ended, wh-questions, and distancing). Research on typically-developing children has consistently reported benefits for expressive and receptive language skills following dialogic reading intervention.

Based on a dialogic reading model that incorporates additional instructional support for learners with ASD (e.g., visual cues, interaction prompts, and prompting hierarchy), our study examines whether this intervention approach helps preschoolers with ASD by enhancing their engagement in shared reading and addressing their core difficulties in joint attention, social reciprocity, and inference-making. In this presentation, I will highlight the findings of this study, and the implications for educational practices and early intervention for preschoolers with ASD.

07:15 – 07:30p.m.: Registration 07:30 – 08:45p.m.: Presentation 08:45 – 09:00p.m.: Q&A Session