New Insights: Reading Intervention Changes Brain Activity in Children with Autism:
- Benjamin Glasman
- Oct 1, 2024
- 3 min read
When we talk about reading comprehension challenges in children with autism, the issue often goes beyond simply understanding the words on the page.
A recent study, “From Word Reading to Multisentence Comprehension: Improvements in Brain Activity in Children with Autism After Reading Intervention” (2017), explores how an intensive reading intervention can alter brain activity and improve reading comprehension in children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).
This research not only provides crucial insights into how the brain adapts to reading interventions but also aligns with the mission of Kids Celebrate Inc.—to use research-backed strategies to help children with autism thrive through tailored storybooks.
What the Study Found: Brain Activation and Reading Skills
The study examined 25 children with ASD over a 10-week period, split into two groups: one receiving intensive reading intervention and the other on a waitlist. The key finding was that children who participated in the intervention showed increased activation in brain regions associated with both visual processing and language comprehension. Some of the most important regions impacted included:
Fusiform Gyrus: Responsible for processing visual information, this area became more active, especially in tasks requiring multisentence comprehension. This suggests that children with ASD may rely on visual pathways to compensate for language processing difficulties.
Frontal Regions (e.g., Left Inferior Frontal Gyrus): These areas, crucial for language production and comprehension, also showed increased activity post-intervention, particularly during more complex reading tasks.
Temporal and Parietal Lobes: These regions, which are key to integrating meaning across sentences, saw greater engagement after the reading intervention, indicating that children began to process language more effectively.
Why This Matters for Children with Autism
Children with autism often show strong decoding skills but weaker comprehension abilities, as seen in the Simple View of Reading model. This study emphasizes that visual processing regions are crucial for children with ASD when interpreting language. Rather than focusing solely on traditional reading strategies, interventions should capitalize on these strengths in visual processing to improve comprehension.
How We Apply These Findings at Kids Celebrate
At Kids Celebrate Inc., we’re committed to integrating research-based techniques into our storybooks and activities for children with autism. Here’s how we use the science from this study:
Visual Aids to Support Comprehension: Just as the study highlights the importance of visual processing, our books include vivid illustrations that help children with ASD connect text to imagery. This reinforces comprehension by engaging the fusiform gyrus, which was shown to be a key player in reading for children on the spectrum.
Interactive Reading Elements: To mimic the brain’s engagement in multiple regions (from the frontal lobe to the occipital cortex), our stories include interactive elements like questions, prompts, and visual cues. These strategies help children bridge the gap between decoding and full comprehension, just as the intervention in the study improved brain activation in critical language areas.
Targeted Language Development: By focusing on areas of the brain linked to comprehension, our storybooks also encourage social and language development, helping children not only read but also understand and use language in their daily lives.
Key Takeaways for Parents
Target Visual Strengths: Children with autism often rely on visual processing to help with reading comprehension. Using books with strong visual elements can engage parts of the brain that help bridge language gaps.
Consistency Matters: Like the intensive intervention in the study, regular, structured reading time with interactive elements can have significant effects on how children with ASD process and understand stories.
The Power of Tailored Content: Not all reading interventions are created equal. This study shows that interventions targeting the strengths of children with autism—such as visual processing—are more effective in improving comprehension than traditional methods.
At Kids Celebrate Inc., we believe that every child can unlock the magic of reading with the right tools. Check out our new book series, designed with evidence-based strategies to help children with autism improve their comprehension skills—available now on our website and on Amazon starting November 13th!
Citations:
Murdaugh, D. L., Deshpande, H. D., & Kana, R. K. (2017). From Word Reading to Multisentence Comprehension: Improvements in Brain Activity in Children with Autism After Reading Intervention. Neuroimage Clin, 16, 303–312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2017.08.012
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