Longitudinal Study on Reading, Writing, Social, And Cognitive Development Of Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder

  • Research Project

What We Do

This exploratory study uses primary data collection to investigate the longitudinal development of 100 students with ASD and 100 typically developing students between the ages of 4 and 8 in their development of reading, writing, social communication, social cognition, attention and processing skills.

Previous research findings motivate the development of effective reading interventions for students in mid-elementary school through adolescence, but less is known about the early development of reading and emergent literacy and how they relate to social communication, cognition and executive function, and long-term reading comprehension and writing outcomes to fully inform the development of early and preventative reading and writing interventions for younger students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

Findings will provide more refined guidance for early instruction and intervention development designed to address the specific academic and social developmental needs of students with ASD in both preschool and the primary grades. 

Related Lab

  • RADR
  • Research Lab

Reading and Academic Development Research Group

The Reading and Academic Development Research Group examines reading and related areas of academic development across different groups of school-age children. Broadly, the research focuses on meeting the diverse instructional needs of students from specific backgrounds by identifying reading and writing difficulties and developing effective instructional approaches.