Reading Skill Profiles in Elementary-School Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Context and Relevance. More than half of school-age children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) struggle to comprehend what they read, which hinders their ability to master educational curricula. Reading profiles among children with ASD are heterogeneous, and uneven development of reading abilities (relatively intact decoding with poor comprehension) is considered characteristic of this group. Data obtained in other languages cannot be directly applied to the Russian-speaking population, for which no such studies have been conducted. Objective. To identify subgroups of children with ASD that differ in the level of reading skill development and to describe the reading profile characteristic of each subgroup in a Russian-speaking sample. Hypotheses. Decoding and reading comprehension skills in children with ASD are less developed than in typically developing (TD) peers; both in ASD and in typical development, subgroups with a uniform reading profile will be identified, as well as a subgroup with a non-uniform profile, with the latter occurring more frequently in ASD. Methods and Materials. A total of 79 children with ASD (ages 6 years 10 months to 10 years 2 months) and 110 typically developing (TD) children (ages 6 years 7 months to 7 years 10 months) were assessed. Reading skills were assessed using the “Start/Progress” method; nonverbal intelligence, memory, and the severity of autistic symptoms were also measured. Results. The groups did not differ in decoding ability, but children with ASD demonstrated significantly lower text comprehension (p = 0.004). In both groups, clusters were identified that are characterized by relatively high and relatively low levels of decoding and reading comprehension. In the ASD group, a unique cluster with an uneven profile was identified. Conclusions. At the group level, reading difficulties in children with ASD are primarily associated with reading comprehension, whereas decoding skills are on par with those of their peers. The Russian-speaking sample confirms the existence of a subgroup of children with ASD characterized by an uneven reading profile comparable to hyperlexia.