Drawing a Blank: Improving Comprehension for Readers on the Autism Spectrum

Although they may be fluent readers - indeed, many have very precocious reading skills - individuals with autism spectrum disorders often need support for comprehension. Comprehension difficulties in readers with ASD can be subtle, qualitative, and difficult to tease out. As a result, their substantial level of risk for reading comprehension problems is often overlooked or unaddressed, and many students struggle in silence. Further aggravating the situation is the fact that otherwise competent educational professionals is both general education and special education settings have limited training and experience helping readers with ASD. This is where Drawing a Blank comes in. Using a clearly stated and well-organized approach, this practical resource provides educational professionals and parents with the tools to improve comprehension for good decoders who have reading comprehension difficulties, as well as readers who struggle with both decoding and comprehension. In keeping with current standards, the book emphasizes the importance of using evidence-based and promising practices based on thorough assessment of student's needs.