Running head COMPUTER-ASSISTED INSTRUCTION

Using Computer-Assisted Instruction to Teach Reading to Children with Autism

Janet E. Kelly
Western regon Uni!ersity
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Autism spectrum disorders are disa"ilities that e##ect the communication and social s$ills
o# those a##ected "y it. According to the Centers #or %isease Control &as cited in 'ennington(
)*+*, it is estimated that + in e!ery ++* children ha!e "een diagnosed with Autism spectrum
disorders. These children also ha!e a wide !ariety o# other de#icits that a##ect their a"ility to
learn. -ome o# these de#icits are perceptual pro"lems( ina"ility to empathi.e with others(
"eha!ior issues( and de!elopmental delays. Conse/uently( there is a great need #or teachers to
de!elop the techni/ues( s$ills( and programs necessary to teach these children &'ennington(
)*+*,.
%ue to the wide !ariety o# physical and mental de#icits associated with Autism spectrum
disorders( it is hard to come up with one uni/ue way to teach these children. ne possi"le way is
through the use o# technology( which has "ecome pre!alent in all classrooms. There ha!e "een
se!eral studies done on the e##ecti!eness o# using computer-assisted instruction to teach language
and communication s$ills to children with Autism spectrum disorders. These studies show that
some autistic children can learn using computer-assisted instruction. Computer-assisted
instruction 0re#ers to the use o# a computer technology to present learning materials and1or chec$
learner2s $nowledge3 &as cited in 'ennington( )*+*( p. )4*,. Computer technology can "e used
#or many things( including teaching reading.
Reading is an important s$ill that is taught to all students( starting in $indergarten.
5owe!er( students with Autism spectrum disorders cannot "e taught #rom a scripted lesson or out
o# a wor$"oo$( which is how reading is normally taught. These students need to "e taught in
ways that use the speci#ic a"ilities that they ha!e. ne way to do this is through the use o#
computer-assisted instruction. Computer-assisted instruction can "e used in a !ariety o# ways to
teach reading to children.
Computer-assisted instruction can "e a #un( e6citing( and an e##ecti!e way to teach
reading to children with Autism spectrum disorders. It also has the added "ene#it o# decreasing
the amount o# time and energy that teachers ha!e to spend on their lesson planning. The purpose
o# this literature re!iew is to7 +, -how how computer-assisted instruction can help children with
Autism spectrum disorders learn to read( ), -how that there are "ene#its #or teachers who use
computer-assisted instruction in their lessons( and 8, -how that there is a need #or more research
on the "ene#its o# using computer-assisted instruction to teach reading to children with Autism
spectrum disorders.
9or this re!iew( I ha!e selected articles that meet two criteria. 9irst( the article had to "e
peer re!iewed. -econd( the article had to "e speci#ically a"out using computer-assisted
instruction to teach educational s$ills to autistic children.
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In their )**4 article( Use o# Technology in Inter!entions #or Children with Autism(
:oldsmith and ;e<lanc discuss how technology can "e used to help children with autism learn.
The authors cite se!eral studies that ha!e "een done on using computer-assisted instruction to
teach educational and social s$ills to children with autism. They discuss the "ene#its o#
computer-assisted instruction( these include increased pro"lem sol!ing a"ility( impro!ed
!oca"ulary and spelling( increased communication s$ills( impro!ed cooperation( and increased
reading s$ills. 5owe!er( they also discuss the #act that while there is an increase in moti!ation(
not all autistic children ha!e an increase in their learning while using computer-assisted
instruction.
In her )**= article( 'ower'oint is not >ust #or <usiness presentations and College
;ectures7 Using 'ower'oint to Enhance Instruction #or -tudents with %isa"ilities( Coleman
e6plains that 'ower'oint can "e use#ul #or computer-assisted instruction. -he states that(
0Computer-assisted instruction allows students to practice pre!iously taught s$ills independently
and may "e more moti!ating than traditional methods #or practicing s$ills.3 &p.4, In her article(
Coleman cites se!eral studies done on children with disa"ilities( which included the use o# a
'ower'oint program. -he also gi!es some e6amples and instructions on how to use 'ower'oint
programs #or teaching children with disa"ilities. -he #urther states( 'ower'oint is widely
a!aila"le( easy to use( and o##ers a num"er o# #eatures that teachers can use to ma$e interesting
instructional presentations including animated te6t and the a"ility to record speech into the
presentation.3 &p.4, A #ree 'ower'oint !iewer is also a!aila"le to download so that students
who ha!e access to a computer can watch the teacher made presentations at home.
There are also ad!antages #or teachers who use 'ower'oint. According to Coleman(
teachers only need 0a little "it o# time and creati!ity3 to create materials #or their students &p.++,.
-he concluded her article "y stating( ?any students are moti!ated "y computer-assisted
instruction and( #or some students who ha!e decreased motor( cogniti!e( or learning a"ilities(
'ower'oint opens up opportunities #or independent s$ill practice that would otherwise re/uire
adult assistance.3 &p.++,
A +==8 article "y Chen and <ernard-pit. entitled( Comparison o# 'ersonal and
Computer-Assisted Instruction #or Children With Autism( reported that7
Recent studies ha!e demonstrated the potential o# the computer as a !ia"le
medium o# instruction #or students with autism through more systematic
e!aluation. 'leinis and Romanc.y$ &+=@8, #ound a positi!e e##ect o# computers
on these students2 attention and per#ormance compared to other #orms o#
instruction. &p.8A@,
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Their study compared the ad!antages o# using computer-assisted instruction to that o# personal
instruction. Their study was done on #our autistic children &three males and one #emale,( who
were "etween #our and se!en years old. All o# the children were !er"al. Three o# the children
used a <<C computer #or their instruction and one child used an Atari computer. Each child
was
assigned tas$s "ased on their indi!idual a"ility. Their instructions were !ideotaped and their
0learning( moti!ation( and "eha!ior were analy.ed3 &p.8A=,.
The results o# the study showed that the students were more moti!ated and interested in
the computer-assisted instruction. They were also "etter "eha!ed during their lessons. The
authors recommend #urther research "e done on comparing social interactions in autistic
children during personal and computer-assisted instruction. The authors end their article "y
stating( In conclusion( our results show that computer Bassisted instruction is use#ul #or
children with autism. The /uestion is not whether it is "etter than personal instruction( "ut
rather how to impro!e it to "ene#it more children who ha!e autism3 &p.8CD,.
In )**A ?assaro and <osseler wrote an article entitled( Read my lips7 The importance o#
the #ace in a computer-animated tutor #or !oca"ulary learning "y children with autism. In this
article( they discuss their study done on #i!e autistic children. The children( #our males and
one #emale( were "etween the ages o# eight and thirteen. All o# the children were !er"al.
In this study( a computer-animated tutor( called <aldi( was used to teach grammar and
!oca"ulary to these children. <aldi shows the mo!ements o# a #ace tal$ing. %uring all phases
o# the study( the students wor$ed independently( while the e6perimenter o"ser!ed them. The
students were gi!en indi!idual lists o# !oca"ulary words to learn. They were taught some o# the
words with <aldi and some without it. The results o# the study showed that three o# the students
learned "etter "y using <aldi than without it.
Another study on teaching !oca"ulary to autistic children was done in )*** "y ?oore
and Cal!ert. They reported the results o# their study in an article entitled( <rie# Report7
Eoca"ulary Ac/uisition #or Children with Autism7 Teacher or Computer Instruction. In this
study( #ourteen autistic students( two girls and twel!e "oys( were di!ided into two groups7
teacher instructed or computer instructed. The students ranged in age #rom three to si6. The
results o# the study showed that7
Children were attenti!e =CF o# the time in the computer condition and only
A)F o# the time in the teacher conditionG they learned C4F o# the targeted nouns
in the computer condition and only 4+F o# the nouns in the teacher conditionG
and DCF o# the children in the computer condition wanted to continue treatment
compared to none o# the children in the teacher condition. ?oreo!er there were
lin$s "etween attending during treatment and later memory #or the nouns that
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had "een taught in "oth conditions( suggesting that eliciting children2s !isual
attention is an
important #irst step in impro!ing children2s su"se/uent retention o# in#ormation
&p.8A+,.
The authors discuss the #act that this study was limited "y the small num"er o#
children who participated in the study. They suggest that #uture studies contain a
control group that recei!es no treatment. They also suggest #urther studies on the use o#
colla"orati!e computer acti!ities( testing the children2s retention o# the materials
learned o!er a longer period o# time( and the use o# hearing and seeing techni/ues that
increase the interest o# the child. They conclude their article "y stating that their study
shows the potential #or computer technologies to "e used to help autistic children learn
!oca"ulary. They also state that the proper computer program can get the attention o#
the students( help moti!ate them( and increase their learning o# !oca"ulary.
A study on teaching word identi#ication to disa"led children was done in the summer o#
)**D "y Coleman-?artin( 5eller( Chica$( and Ir!ine. They shared the results o# their study in
an article entitled( Using Computer-Assisted Instruction and the Hon!er"al Reading Approach
to Teach Word Identi#ication. Three children participated in this study. All three children were
#emale. The #irst student was ele!en years old and had cere"ral palsy. The second student was
si6teen years old and had a "rain in>ury #rom a stro$e. The third student was twel!e years old
and had autism.
%uring this study( the students were e!aluated on the e##ecti!eness o# learning word
identi#ication through the use o# the Hon!er"al Reading Approach( "y three di##erent methods.
The three methods were "y the teacher only( "y the teacher and computer-assisted instruction(
and "y computer-assisted instruction "y itsel#. The results o# the study showed that all three
students learned word identi#ication using all three methods. 5owe!er( it was #ound that using
'ower'oint slides to teach the new words without the teacher was an e##ecti!e method. The
students2 teachers were also gi!en a /uestionnaire to #ill out a"out their e6periences with using
computer-assisted instruction. The teachers reported that the students #ound computer-assisted
instruction to "e moti!ating. The teachers "elie!ed that computer- assisted instruction was >ust
as e##ecti!e( i# not more e##ecti!e( than teacher instruction alone. They also #ound that the
'ower'oint program was easy to use. ne teacher also suggested that more interesting slides "e
used #or rein#orcement.
The authors discuss the ad!antages o# computer-assisted instruction and the limitations o#
their study. The main ad!antages o# computer-assisted instruction was that it is an e##ecti!e way
to teach without teacher instruction and it allows students the a"ility to practice their words
COMPUTER-ASSISTED INSTRUCTION
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without teacher assistance( which allows the teacher to use their time more e##iciently. It also
allows the students to ha!e instruction in multiple settings( including outside o# the classroom.
Computer-assisted instruction also has the a"ility to moti!ate students( which is not easy to do(
especially with autistic children. The main limitations to this study were technology di##iculties
and the #act that the 'ower'oint presentations were not de!eloped "y all o# the teachers. E!en
though the teachers were willing to use it again( one teacher thought that it was time-consuming
to ma$e.
A study on using computer-assisted instruction to teach autistic children to read was done
in +==D "y 5eimann( Helson( T>us( and :ill"erg. They reported the results o# their study in an
article entitled( Increasing Reading and Communication -$ills in Children with Autism Through
an Interacti!e ?ultimedia Computer 'rogram. In this study( thirty students( di!ided into three
groups( were taught reading and communication s$ills using a microcomputer program called
Alpha. The #irst group contained ele!en students with autism( the second group contained nine
students with mi6ed handicaps &cere"ral palsy and1or mental retardation,( and the third group
contained ten students who were normal preschoolers. There were a total o# #i#teen males and
#i#teen #emales in the study. %uring this study( each child wor$ed on an Apple IIe or Apple
II:- microcomputer.
%uring this study( these students were tested on reading( phonological awareness(
sentence imitation( communication( le!el o# autism &#or the autistic and mi6ed handicaps
groups, and !er"al "eha!ior and moti!ation. The results o# the study showed that all three
groups o# children made great progress #rom the "eginning to the end o# the study. The authors
conclude their article "y stating that the use o# computer-assisted instruction can wor$ #or some
disa"led children( "ut not all o# them. Computers can "e a great "ene#it to some children( "ut it
is not an 0a"solute magic3 &p. 4CA,.
A study speci#ically on teaching autistic children to read using computer-assisted
instruction was done in )**) "y Williams( Wright( Callaghan( and Coughlan. The authors start
their article "y listing the reasons why some people do not "elie!e that computer-assisted
instruction would "e "ene#icial to autistic children. These include a possi"le increase in social
withdrawal( o"session o# the computer( or an increase in other o"sessi!e compulsi!e "eha!iors.
They then list se!eral reasons why computer-assisted instruction may "e "ene#icial to these
children. These include enhanced learning conditions( adapting the computer to the needs o# the
childG computers can incorporate repetition and rein#orcement( and the #act that computers are
predicta"le and consistent.
In this study( the reading s$ills o# eight children( aged three to #i!e( were compared
"etween "oo$ "ased learning and computer instructed learning. The children were grouped into
COMPUTER-ASSISTED INSTRUCTION
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pairs "ased on age( num"er o# words spo$en( and le!el o# autism. The children spent ten wee$s
using the computer and ten wee$s "eing taught "y a teacher. The children had their own "oo$s(
which contained sounds( to read and the teachers #ollowed a manual with daily lessons. The
"oo$s were scanned into the computers and had the same sounds as the physical "oo$s. Again(
the teachers were gi!en an instructional manual to #ollow. The same teachers stayed with their
students #or the whole twenty wee$s.
The results o# the study showed that the students spent more time on tas$ while on the
computer than when using the physical "oo$. The children also spo$e more while on the
computer than with the "oo$. There was also an increase in the use o# communication s$ills
while the children were on the computer. All the children showed an impro!ement in their
reading s$ills. It is interesting to note that the children who started on the computer #irst had a
greater increase in reading and concentration. The authors end their article "y stating that there
is a need #or #urther research on this su">ect.
A re!iew o# the literature that is currently a!aila"le on the su">ect o# teaching reading to
autistic children using computer-assisted instruction shows that there are de#inite "ene#its to it.
These "ene#its include more moti!ation "y the student( increased communications s$ills(
impro!ement in reading s$ills( more attention to the tas$ on hand( an increase in word
recognition( and increased !oca"ulary. There are also "ene#its to teachers who use computer-
assisted instruction in their classrooms. These include easier lesson planning and more e##icient
use o# their time.
%espite the positi!e "ene#its o# computer-assisted instruction( there are some limitations
to the studies that ha!e "een done on it. These include not ha!ing large num"ers o# su">ects in
the studies( using a disproportionate num"er o# males in the studies( not gi!ing enough
statistical in#ormation on the results o# the studies( and a limited num"er o# studies.
In conclusion( I "elie!e( despite the limitations( that there are great "ene#its to using
computer-assisted instruction when teaching reading to autistic children. I thin$ that computer-
assisted instruction should "e used in all autism classrooms. I also "elie!e that more research
should "e done on the "ene#its and limitations o# using computer-assisted instruction to teach
reading to autistic children.

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Re#erences
Chen, S. H., & Bernard-Opitz, V. (1993). Comparison of personal and omp!ter-assisted
instr!tion for hildren "ith a!tism. Mental Retardation, 31(#), 3#$-3%#.
Coleman, &. B. ('((9). )o"er)oint is not *!st for +!siness presentations and olle,e let!res-
.sin, )o"er)oint to enhane instr!tion for st!dents "ith disa+ilities. TEACHING
Exceptional Children Plus, 6(1), 1-13.
Coleman-&artin, &. B., Heller, /. 0., Ciha1, 2. 3., & 4r5ine, /. 6. ('((7). .sin, omp!ter-
assisted instr!tion and the 8on5er+al 9eadin, :pproah to teah "ord identifiation.
Focus on Autis and !ther "e#elopental "isa$ilities, %&('), $(-9(.
Heimann, &., 8elson, /. ;., <*!s, <., & =ill+er,, C. (1997). 4nreasin, readin, and
omm!niation s1ills in hildren "ith a!tism thro!,h and interati5e m!ltimedia omp!ter
pro,ram. 'ournal o( Autis and "e#elopental "isorders, %)(7), >79->$(.
&assaro, 2. 0., & Bosseler, :. ('((#). 9ead m? lips- <he importane of the fae in a omp!ter-
animated t!tor for 5oa+!lar? learnin, +? hildren "ith a!tism. Autis, 1&(7), >97-71(. doi-
1(.11%%@13#'3#13(#(##799
&oore, &., & Cal5ert, S. ('(((). Brief report- Voa+!lar? aA!isition for hildren "ith a!tism-
<eaher or omp!ter instr!tion. 'ournal o( Autis and "e#elopental "isorders, 3&(>),
379-3#'.
)ennin,ton, 9. C. ('(1(). Comp!ter-assisted instr!tion for teahin, aademi s1ills to st!dents
"ith a!tism spetr!m disorders- : re5ie" of literat!re. Focus on Autis and !ther
"e#elopental "isa$ilities, %)(>), '39-'>$.
0illiams, C., 0ri,ht, B., Calla,han, =., & Co!,hlan, B. ('(('). 2o hildren "ith a!tism learn to
read more readil? +? omp!ter assisted instr!tion or traditional +oo1 methodsB - : pilot
st!d?. Autis, 6(1), %1-91. doi- 1(.11%%@13#'3#13('((#((1((#