Running Head: ARTICLE ANALYSIS 1

Article Analysis

Megan Webb
EDU 220
Professor Hooks
1 February 2015

1. Please cite your article in A.P.A format:

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Lanter, E., Watson, L. R., Erickson, K. A., Freeman, D., Nippold, M., & Troia, G. (2012).
Emergent Literacy in Children with Autism: An Exploration of Developmental and
Contextual Dynamic Processes. Language, Speech & Hearing Services In Schools, 43(3),
308-324.

2. Would you define this study as primarily qualitative or quantitative? Why?

I would define this study as qualitative, as the data collected was more for informational
purposes and not meant to provide any straight forward initiatives. The families were not
randomly chosen, but specifically picked based off of specific guidelines. Although there was
data collected, this data was not based off of mathematical calculations, but it was more for
the purpose of becoming more informed about children with ASD and literacy skills.

3. What method or research was conducted?

Families were selected based on specific criteria. Not all initial families were chosen due
to the criterion of the study. Family interviews and direct interviews were conducted to
determine literacy skills among the children with ASD. The researchers used interviews and
casual interaction in order to collect the information they needed. They used both case and
field study in order to collect data. The families were called in to conduct an interview where
the child was tested on oral language, nonverbal cognition, and emergent literacy.

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4. What were the data collection methods used in this study?

When testing for oral language, the researchers used TELD- The Test of Early Language
Development. For testing nonverbal cognition, the children were given the Kaufman Brief
Intelligence Test- KBIT. This tested the children's fluid intelligence. The final criteria that
was studied was emergent literacy, which was the focus of the study. The Emergent Literacy
Profile was used in order to determine the child's emergent literacy skills. This included
writing skills, reading skills, and understanding and recognizing everyday photos and logos.
At times the interviews had to be repeated as some children were not able to sit for log
periods of times without getting distracted. Through using family/home study, the
observational research and interview was able to determine the amount of literacy based
activity within the home. This included reading to the children and providing access to print
materials, along with determining if the parents were engaging children in literacy focused
activities.

5. What conclusions did the authors draw from this study?

These studies showed that although the children had inconsistent levels of achievement, all
were responsive to emergent literacy interventions (Lanter 2012). In the area of Oral
development it seems as though language development has some correlation to other aspects of
emergent literacy. Although the children had language delays, some parents may not have seen

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language as a part of literacy, so in some children the correlation may not have been seen. Most
of the children were strong in letter recognition. Although this was a strong ability of the
children, most parents believed that their children did not truly understand the meaning of the
letters (read and writing). This ability is looked at as more of a visual memorization than an
emergent literacy skill. Children showed strength in recognizing print materials, such as pictures
of objects and logos. Most of the children had difficulties when it came to pretend reading due to
language delays and decreased ability to understand expressions. Although more research is
needed before conclusions can be drawn, the overall lack of pretend reading reported in this
study may be an early indicator of later literacy challenges, even for children with ASD with
more advanced language skills (Lanter 2012). Many of the children exhibited age-appropriate
writing skills, but not all of the parents said it was their child's strength. The present studys
findings indicate that structural oral language skills are concurrently correlated with other
emergent literacy accomplishments for children with ASD and that their emergent literacy
achievements could be characterized as heterogeneous with possible relative strengths in discrete
skills and weaknesses in more holistic skills requiring the application of meaning (Lanter 2012)

6. Describe your own personal reaction to this study. Do you think that it was valid? Using
your critical eye share whether or not you think this study is important for the real school
setting.

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I truly believe that any study that assesses children with ASD is for the best. Since
it is a qualitative study more than a quantitative study, the research is more for
informational purposes and may be broadened later on. I liked the way they were able to
interview them as well as get the home assessment in order to calculate their data. I think
this is a good study for a school setting as it is focused on children who have ASD and
may have difficulties in the classroom setting. For teachers to have more information on
literacy approaches, studies like this need to take place in order to understand the
importance or unimportance of a subject. The text states, This study highlights the
potential emergent literacy accomplishments of children with ASD who have varied
linguistic abilities and supports the belief that literacy learning is important, is valued by
parents, and is achievable for children with ASD (Lanter 2012).

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