Analysis of reading skills in individuals with Asperger syndrome.(Statistical Data Included)

The purpose of this study was to examine the reading performance of 16 individuals with Asperger syndrome. The students were administered the Classroom Reading Inventory (Silvaroli, 1993), and the results were analyzed to determine if individuals with Asperger syndrome present similar reading deficits, as posited by researcher and practitioners in special education. Findings of the study were discussed to better understand how the reading characteristics of students with Asperger syndrome affect classroom performance.

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In 1944, Hans Asperger (cited in Frith, 1991) described four children with whom he had interacted in his clinic. These four children shared the following unique characteristics:

1. a peculiarity in eye gaze,

2. an impairment in the use of facial and gestural expressions,

3. marked social skills deficits, particularly with same-age peers,

4. social isolation because of their apparent lack of interest in what was going on around them, and

5. a high degree of impulsivity with ambivalence toward others' needs.

Asperger also described the intelligence of the children he studied specifically in terms of language use and cognition. In spite of their gifted intellectual capacity, the children exhibited learning disabilities, although Asperger did not discuss how this impairment could affect academic areas, such as reading.

Although professional opinion supports Asperger's contention that learning difficulties exist in children and youth with Asperger syndrome (AS; Attwood, 1998; Myles & Simpson, 1998; Rourke & Tsatanis, 2000), only one study has been published that addresses this very important issue. Church, Alisanski, and Amanullah (2000) published the first study that addressed the reading skills of children and youth with AS by conducting chart reviews of 40 preschool, elementary, middle school, and high school students with this exceptionality. They found that many of the children entered elementary school with reading skills and that many were reading above grade level. Comprehension difficulties were noted, especially when the material was not factual. Reading comprehension problems were reported in the files of students at the middle school level but surprisingly not at the high school level. It should be noted that the authors made no distinction between word recognition and…