The Research

Approximately 30% of school-aged autistic children are non-speaking (i.e. individuals of school age with little or no spontaneous spoken language).  Most reading tests require verbalisation, which under-estimates the reading abilities of this group.  To determine word recognition abilities of non-speaking autistic children, a modified multiple-choice form of a reading assessment, comparable to the widely used ‘New Salford Reading Test’ was created.  Results demonstrated that the use of the modified test offers a good assessment of word recognition and listening comprehension abilities for non-speaking autistic children.

 

  EVIDENCED - Non-speaking does not mean non-able or illiterate!

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