Many autistic people can decode (read words fluently and accurately) and still struggle to understand what they read. This does not mean a lack of intelligence or “laziness”: it usually reflects that comprehension depends on skills that are different from “reading correctly.”

In this article you will see: (1) what studies say about the profile “I read well, but I understand little,” and (2) a clear, practical teaching method (including a 2-week plan for autistic learners).

1) What the research says

1.1 Reading comprehension is a common difficulty in ASD

A widely cited meta-analysis (36 studies) found that, on average, people with ASD score lower on reading comprehension than their peers, with an overall difference of about g = −0.7 (a moderate–large effect size). That same work examined moderators and showed that skills such as semantic knowledge (vocabulary/meaning) and decoding are related to comprehension performance.

More recently, studies continue to report that comprehension can be affected even when overall cognitive ability is adequate; in a 2024 study, about half of children with ASD and “intact” intelligence showed mild to moderate comprehension difficulties.

1.2 “Simple View of Reading”: why understanding is not the same as decoding

A widely used model in reading (the Simple View of Reading) proposes that reading comprehension depends on two pillars:

• Decoding / word recognition
• Language comprehension (especially oral comprehension: vocabulary, grammar, meanings in context)

If one of these pillars is weak, overall comprehension suffers even if the other is strong.

In a study with 100 adolescents with ASD, researchers tested this framework and found that both decoding and oral language contribute substantially to comprehension. They also explored the influence of individual differences in social functioning/social cognition.

Real-life translation: a person can read perfectly, but if they struggle with vocabulary, complex sentences, or “reading between the lines,” comprehension drops.

1.3 Which interventions seem to help?

A systematic review (2000–2019) analyzed reading comprehension interventions for students with ASD and found promising results with explicit, structured approaches, though there was substantial variation across studies (methods, sample sizes, etc.).

There is also emerging evidence that visual supports (pictures/graphic organizers) can improve comprehension in school-aged students with ASD, although the number of studies is still limited.

2) The “decodes well, understands poorly” profile in adolescents

When a student reads fluently but understands little, the “bottleneck” is most often in one or more of these areas:

• Vocabulary and language in context (academic words and connectors: however, therefore, although, despite).
• Long/abstract sentences (subordinate clauses, negations, comparisons).
• Inferences (concluding something that is not stated literally).
• Global integration (finding the main idea and connecting paragraphs).
• Comprehension monitoring (noticing “I got lost” and repairing understanding).

3) How to teach reading comprehension in ASD (practical, evidence-based strategies)

The key is to teach comprehension explicitly, step by step, with guided practice and visual supports.

Strategy A: Teach high-impact vocabulary (before reading)

• Choose 5–8 essential words from the text.
• For each word: simple definition + example + “What does it mean here?”
• Include connectors (however, therefore…) because they change the meaning of the paragraph.

Connectors (also called linking words or signal words) are like traffic signs in a text: they tell the reader how one sentence relates to the previous one. If the student does not understand the connector, they may read all the words “correctly” but understand the opposite—or lose the main idea.

The same paragraph can mean very different things depending on the connector. Examples:

• “However” (contrast)
• “Therefore” (conclusion/result)
• “Although / Despite” (exception or contrast)

Why it helps: research indicates that semantic knowledge is related to comprehension in ASD.

Strategy B: Read in “chunks” with immediate paraphrasing

This is one of the most effective strategies for the “reads well but understands little” profile because it forces the student to build meaning as they go, instead of reaching the end “without understanding” and already tired.

After 1–2 paragraphs, the student should produce:

In my own words: one sentence explaining what was read.
Ask the student to say, right after the chunk:

“What did this chunk say, in your own words?”

Important: it is not repeating the text or rereading it. It is explaining it.

If the student cannot do it, it usually means:

• the chunk was too long,
• vocabulary was missing, or
• they did not understand how the ideas relate.

In that case, do not move on. Shorten the chunk or explain a word.

Main idea + 1 detail

• Main idea: “what the author wants you to remember” from that chunk. It should be general, not a small example.
• 1 detail: concrete evidence that supports the main idea (an example, a reason, an action).

If they cannot paraphrase, they usually have not built meaning yet (even if they read without errors).

Strategy C: Inferences with a formula (clue + knowledge)

An inference is “understanding something the text does not say directly, but that can be concluded.” Many students with ASD read very literally, so inferences are often the hardest part. This strategy works because it turns “guessing” into a step-by-step process.

What is an inference? (simple version)

• Literal: the answer is written exactly.
• Inference: the answer is not written the same way, but the text gives clues, and you use your knowledge to reach a reasonable conclusion.

Teach inference-making as a repeatable procedure:

• Text clue: ______
• What I know: ______
• So, probably: ______

Simple example:
Text: “Juan went out without a jacket and started shivering.”
Inference: “It’s cold.”
The text does not say “it’s cold,” but there are clues (shivering) + knowledge (when it’s cold, you shiver).

This is especially useful in ASD because it turns the “implicit” into clear steps (and trainable).

Strategy D: Graphic organizers (text structure)

In school texts (science, history, geography), the difficulty is often not “reading words,” but understanding how ideas are organized. That is why templates/graphic organizers are used: they are a visual “map” that tells the student what to look for and where to put it.

What is a graphic organizer?
It is a sheet (or outline) with boxes and arrows where the student writes only the essentials. It is not decoration: it is a tool to answer questions like:

“What happened first, and what happened next?”

            [ FIRST ]

                 ⇓
            [ THEN ]

                 ⇓
            [ NEXT ]

                 ⇓
         [ FINALLY ]

“What caused this?”

           [ CAUSE ]

                 ⇓
           [ EFFECT ]

                 ⇓    
  [ CONSEQUENCE (optional) ] 

“What problem appears and how is it solved?”

            [ PROBLEM ]

                   ⇓
      [ CONSEQUENCE ]

                   ⇓
          [ SOLUTION ]

                   ⇓
            [ RESULT ]

“What is similar and what is different?” (Venn diagram)

  How to fill it in:

• only A: only things from A
• only B: only things from B
• both: what they share 

                   [ A ]

                    / \

                    / \

     [ only A ]      [ only B ]

                    \ /

                    \ /

                [ both ]

                  [ B ]

“What is the main idea and what evidence supports it?”

        [ MAIN IDEA ]

        ⇓

        +  ⇒[ EVIDENCE 1 ]

        ⇓

        +  ⇒[ EVIDENCE 2 ]

        ⇓

        +  ⇒[ EVIDENCE 3 (optional) ] 

How to use it (in 30 seconds)

• Choose only 1 organizer based on the text.
• Read 1–2 paragraphs.
• Fill in one box (not everything at once).
• Repeat with the next chunk.

How to use the organizer during reading (without making it heavy)
The most effective way is by chunks (1–2 paragraphs):

• Read a chunk
• Fill in only one part of the organizer
• Continue to the next chunk

Do not wait until the end. If you fill it out at the end, the student may already be lost and starts guessing.

Visual supports/organizers appear repeatedly in reviews of comprehension interventions in ASD, and there are recent meta-analyses on pictorial/graphic representations in this population.

Strategy E: Comprehension monitoring (stop–identify–repair)

Train a 20-second “protocol”:

• I stop.
• What didn’t I understand? (word / sentence / idea)
• I repair: reread, underline, ask, summarize one line.

Explicit teaching of strategies is a common theme in reviews of comprehension interventions in ASD.

4) Two-week mini-plan (10 sessions of 25–30 min)

Overall goal: help the student move from “reading” to explaining, inferring, and integrating.

Materials (simple)

• Texts of 400–800 words (alternate: narrative + expository)
• Highlighter
• Graphic organizer sheet (cause/effect, problem/solution, etc.)
• List of connectors and vocabulary

Fixed structure for each session (25–30 min)

• Before (5 min): vocabulary + prediction
• During (15 min): read in 2–3 chunks + paraphrase
• After (5–8 min): 3-line summary + 3 questions (literal/integrate/infer)

Week 1

Day 1 (Easy expository): “How X works” (topic of interest to the teen)
Organizer: main idea + 3 facts
Questions:

• Literal: What is the definition of X?
• Integrate: What two reasons does the text give?
• Infer: What would happen if one part of X were missing?

Day 2 (Short narrative): brief story
Organizer: character–problem–actions–outcome
Emphasize intention inferences (“Why did he/she do that?”).

Day 3 (Expository): short news item or school article
Emphasize connectors: however / therefore / although
Exercise: underline connectors and say “Is it contrasting or concluding?”

Day 4 (Expository): cause/effect (science or history)
Organizer: cause → effect
Inferences: “If the cause changes, what changes about the effect?”

Day 5 (Review): 2 very short texts (200–300 words)
Measure:

• Can they state the main idea in 1 sentence?
• Do they make at least 1 correct inference per text?

Week 2

Day 6 (Expository): problem/solution
Organizer: problem → solutions → pros/cons
Integrate question: “Which solution is most viable according to the text?”

Day 7 (Narrative): narrative with emotions/social situations
Train “text clues” to infer mental states (without forcing guessing; use evidence).

Day 8 (Expository): comparison (A vs B)
Organizer: similarities / differences
Vocabulary: “on the other hand,” “unlike,” “similarly.”

Day 9 (Real school study text): 1 section of a chapter
Technique: “chunks + paraphrase”
At the end: create 5 test-style questions (2 literal, 2 integrate, 1 infer).

Day 10 (Practical evaluation): new text similar to Day 9
Final measure:

• 3-line summary (topic + 2 ideas + conclusion)
• 6 questions: 2 literal, 2 integrate, 2 infer
• Compare with Day 1 / Day 5

5) Question models (useful for parents and teachers)

Literal (in the text):

• What happened / what does the author claim?
• What is the definition of…?

Integrate (combine parts):

• What two pieces of evidence support the main idea?
• How does paragraph 2 relate to paragraph 4?

Inference (clue + knowledge):

• What can you conclude and why? (mention the “clue”)
• What did the author imply when they said…?

Vocabulary in context:

• In this sentence, what does “X” mean? What word could replace it?

6) When to seek additional support

If there is a large and persistent gap (excellent decoding, very low comprehension), an evaluation focused on language (vocabulary, syntax, listening comprehension) and comprehension strategies often helps. Studies in students with ASD highlight the role of oral language as a foundation for comprehension.