TY - JOUR
T1 - Reading decoding and comprehension in children with autism spectrum disorders
T2 - Evidence from a language with regular orthography
AU - Zuccarello, Rosa
AU - Di Blasi, Francesco Domenico
AU - Zingale, Marinella
AU - Panerai, Simonetta
AU - Finocchiaro, Maria
AU - Trubia, Grazia
AU - Buono, Serafino
AU - Zoccolotti, Pierluigi
PY - 2015/7/9
Y1 - 2015/7/9
N2 - Abstract Decoding and comprehension skills in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) were analysed in children native speakers of a language (Italian) with a highly regular orthography. Children with ASD were compared to children with matched intellectual functioning: a subgroup of children with ASD and borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) was compared to a subgroup of children with BIF but no signs of ASD; a subgroup of children with ASD and cognitive functioning within normal limits was compared to a group of typically developing children. Children with ASD (whether with or without BIF) showed essentially spared decoding skills in text as well as word and pseudo-word reading; this was at variance with children with BIF who, as a group, showed overall deficient decoding skills, despite considerable individual differences. By contrast, children with ASD (once again, irrespective of the presence of BIF) showed a selective impairment in reading comprehension, just like children with BIF but unlike the typically developing ones. Therefore, results are generally consistent with a profile of hyperlexia for children with ASD learning a regular orthography, as previously reported for other languages. Notably, this pattern was present irrespective of the degree of cognitive impairment, and clearly distinguished these children from those with borderline intellectual functioning but not signs of autism.
AB - Abstract Decoding and comprehension skills in children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) were analysed in children native speakers of a language (Italian) with a highly regular orthography. Children with ASD were compared to children with matched intellectual functioning: a subgroup of children with ASD and borderline intellectual functioning (BIF) was compared to a subgroup of children with BIF but no signs of ASD; a subgroup of children with ASD and cognitive functioning within normal limits was compared to a group of typically developing children. Children with ASD (whether with or without BIF) showed essentially spared decoding skills in text as well as word and pseudo-word reading; this was at variance with children with BIF who, as a group, showed overall deficient decoding skills, despite considerable individual differences. By contrast, children with ASD (once again, irrespective of the presence of BIF) showed a selective impairment in reading comprehension, just like children with BIF but unlike the typically developing ones. Therefore, results are generally consistent with a profile of hyperlexia for children with ASD learning a regular orthography, as previously reported for other languages. Notably, this pattern was present irrespective of the degree of cognitive impairment, and clearly distinguished these children from those with borderline intellectual functioning but not signs of autism.
KW - Autism spectrum disorders
KW - Borderline functioning
KW - Comprehension
KW - Reading
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=84936770473&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=84936770473&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.rasd.2015.06.013
DO - 10.1016/j.rasd.2015.06.013
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:84936770473
VL - 17
SP - 126
EP - 134
JO - Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
JF - Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders
SN - 1750-9467
M1 - 1060
ER -