Some autistic people can read words and texts with ease but experience difficulties understanding their meaning, identifying main ideas, or interpreting information that is not directly stated. Several scientific studies have examined educational strategies that can help develop these skills.

Reading is an essential skill for learning, communicating, and navigating everyday life. It allows us to understand instructions, study, access services, obtain information, and make decisions.

However, being able to read words does not always mean understanding what we read.

Some autistic people can recognize words, read quickly, and even pronounce complex terms, yet experience difficulties when asked to explain what they have read, identify the main idea of a text, or understand why something happened.

These difficulties are not present in all autistic people. Some have excellent reading comprehension skills, while others benefit from specific support.

The encouraging news is that scientific research suggests that reading comprehension can improve when educational strategies are adapted to each student’s individual needs.

What Does Research Tell Us?

1. Explicit Instruction Can Improve Reading Comprehension

A systematic review conducted by researchers at the University of Valencia, Spain, and published in 2021 in the journal Behavioral Sciences, examined 25 studies investigating interventions designed to improve reading comprehension in autistic children and adolescents between the ages of 5 and 18.

The researchers found that many students could benefit from targeted educational interventions.

Some of the most frequently addressed skills included:

• Identifying the main ideas of a text.

• Answering questions about what was read.

• Understanding information that is not directly stated.

• Connecting events and understanding their causes.

• Organizing and interpreting information.

Explicit instruction was one of the most frequently used approaches in the studies.

This means that instead of simply asking students to read a passage and answer questions independently, educators explicitly teach them how to locate information, recognize clues in the text, and develop an answer.

For example, imagine a student reads:

“Maria left home without an umbrella. When she arrived at school, her clothes were completely wet.”

We can help the student understand that it was probably raining, even though the text does not directly say so.

First, we identify the clues: Maria did not have an umbrella, and she arrived at school with wet clothes. Then, we explain how these details can be connected to reach a conclusion.

This process is called making an inference, and it is an important skill for understanding written texts and everyday situations.

The review found encouraging results but also noted that the studies used different methods and that more research is needed to determine which strategies work best for individual students.

2. Visual Supports Can Help Students Understand What They Read

A meta-analysis published in September 2025 in the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, conducted by Seulbi Lee, Sarah Quinn, and Yitong Jiang, examined five experimental single-case studies that used visual representations to support reading comprehension in autistic students.

Overall, the results showed moderate to strong positive effects.

The tools examined included graphic representations and illustrations designed to help students understand how events and ideas in a text are connected.

Examples include:

Story maps: Help identify characters, settings, events, problems, and solutions.

Timelines: Help organize events in the order in which they occurred.

Diagrams: Help illustrate relationships, similarities, differences, and causes.

Illustrations and visual representations: Can make situations easier to understand when they are difficult to interpret through words alone.

For example, imagine a student reading a passage about building a house.

Instead of expecting the student to remember every detail, we could create a diagram showing the steps involved: designing the floor plan, preparing the land, building the walls, and installing the roof.

This allows the student to visualize the sequence and understand how the different stages are connected.

It is important to recognize that not all visual supports work in the same way and that these findings come from a small number of studies. Therefore, educators should select tools based on individual needs and evaluate whether they genuinely improve comprehension.

3. Teaching Connections Between Words and Sentences Can Also Help

Another study, published in 2004 by researchers O’Connor and Klein, explored different strategies for improving reading comprehension in 20 autistic students.

Among their findings, the researchers observed benefits from explicitly teaching certain relationships within texts, particularly how to identify the people or objects referred to by pronouns and other expressions.

For example:

“Peter called Andrew because he needed help. He was worried about the exam.”

To understand the passage correctly, the reader needs to determine whom the word he refers to. In this example, the sentences are ambiguous, so additional context would be needed.

We can teach students to recognize these relationships by using clearer passages, highlighting names and pronouns, and discussing how they are connected.

This skill is important because reading comprehension involves more than understanding individual words. It also requires recognizing how different sentences relate to one another.

The study involved a small sample, so its findings should be interpreted cautiously.

How Can We Help Develop Reading Comprehension?

Based on these studies and established educational principles used in reading instruction, several practical strategies can be applied.

1. Choose Reading Materials Based on Personal Interests

It is often easier to engage in an activity when the content is meaningful to the individual.

If a teenager is interested in mathematics, architecture, technology, music, or travel, we can use these subjects to develop reading comprehension activities.

There is no need to rely exclusively on children’s stories. Teenagers and adults deserve reading materials that are appropriate for their age, interests, and reading abilities.

2. Break Texts Into Smaller Sections

When a passage contains too much information, identifying the most important details can become difficult.

We can begin by reading one paragraph and asking one or two questions before continuing.

As the student develops their skills, we can gradually increase the length and complexity of the reading materials.

3. Teach Different Types of Questions

Not all reading comprehension questions require the same level of understanding.

Literal questions: The answer is directly stated in the text.

Example: What time did Daniel arrive?

Inferential questions: These require connecting information and using clues to reach a conclusion.

Example: Why do you think Daniel decided to return home?

Main idea questions: These help identify the most important information.

Example: What is the passage mainly about?

Application questions: These help connect what was read to real-life situations.

Example: What would you do if you were in that situation?

It is important to teach students how to approach each type of question rather than simply pointing out incorrect answers.

4. Teach Students to Identify the Main Idea

Some students may remember numerous details from a story but find it difficult to explain what the text is about overall.

We can support them by asking:

• What is the topic of the passage?

• What information is most important?

• What title would you give this text?

• How would you explain the passage in one or two sentences?

One useful strategy is to present several possible summaries and explain why one best represents the central idea.

5. Use Visual Supports When Needed

Concept maps, diagrams, charts, and timelines can help organize information.

However, we should not assume that every autistic person needs pictures to understand.

Some may prefer written explanations, others may benefit from spoken examples, and others may need a combination of approaches.

What matters is identifying which tools genuinely support the individual’s learning.

6. Practice With Real-Life Situations

Reading comprehension is not only an academic skill.

It is also necessary for:

• Reading instructions for preparing a meal.

• Understanding public transportation schedules.

• Interpreting text messages and emails.

• Following safety instructions.

• Reading information about medications.

• Understanding forms and documents.

• Interpreting information related to education, employment, or community activities.

These materials can be used to develop skills that support participation and independence.

Why Individualized Instruction Matters

An important conclusion from the research is that there is no single strategy that works for every autistic person.

Before beginning instruction, it is essential to identify the skills the individual already has and those they need to develop.

For example, one student may read fluently but need support with making inferences. Another may understand stories but struggle with lengthy written instructions. Some individuals may also need augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) systems to demonstrate what they understand.

For this reason, reading comprehension should be assessed using accessible methods that do not depend exclusively on the ability to respond verbally.

We must also avoid confusing difficulty expressing an answer with a lack of understanding.

Individualized assessment, appropriate support, and ongoing monitoring of progress are essential for designing meaningful learning activities.

What Can Parents, Educators, and Therapists Learn From These Studies?

These studies remind us that reading comprehension should not be viewed as a fixed ability that a person either has or does not have.

It is a complex skill that can be taught and developed through appropriate educational experiences.

They also show us that simply providing a passage, asking questions, and correcting answers is not always enough.

We need to teach students how to understand what they read.

This means explaining strategies, providing examples, practicing together, offering support when needed, and allowing each student to progress at their own pace.

It is equally important to recognize individual strengths and avoid using materials that are inappropriate for a person’s age or interests.

Although much of the available research has focused on children and adolescents, reading comprehension remains important throughout life. More studies are needed to investigate the educational needs and effective teaching approaches for autistic adults.

Final Thoughts

At Positive Autism, I believe we should pay greater attention to reading comprehension because its importance extends far beyond academic achievement.

Understanding what we read helps us learn new things, interpret the world around us, make decisions, and participate more independently in society.

When an autistic person experiences difficulties understanding a text, we should not assume they are unable to learn.

Instead, we should ask which part of the process is challenging and what tools we can provide to help.

Sometimes, a clearer explanation may be enough. Other times, the person may benefit from concrete examples, visual supports, explicit instruction, or additional opportunities to practice.

Above all, we must recognize each person’s abilities and respect their individual way of learning.

Our goal should not simply be to help someone read a passage, but to help them understand it, use that information, and apply what they have learned in everyday life.

Scientific Studies and References

1. Tárraga-Mínguez, R., Gómez-Marí, I., & Sanz-Cervera, P. (2021).

Interventions for Improving Reading Comprehension in Children with ASD: A Systematic Review.

Journal: Behavioral Sciences, 11(1), 3.

A systematic review of 25 studies examining interventions designed to improve reading comprehension in autistic students.

Original study:

https://doi.org/10.3390/bs11010003

Free full-text article:

https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC7824210/

2. Lee, S., Quinn, S., & Jiang, Y. (2025).

The Use of Pictorial or Graphic Representation in Reading Comprehension Interventions for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Meta-Analysis.

Journal: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

A meta-analysis of five studies examining the use of visual representations to improve reading comprehension.

Original study:

https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-025-07014-4

3. O’Connor, I. M., & Klein, P. D. (2004).

Exploration of Strategies for Facilitating the Reading Comprehension of High-Functioning Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders.

Journal: Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders.

A study examining strategies to support reading comprehension in autistic students.

Original study:

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15162931/

Positive Autism

Promoting understanding, acceptance, and learning opportunities for autistic people.