Introduction
Autism is not recognized as a learning disability, but autistic children may have some learning challenges. It is a neurological and developmental disorder that impacts a person’s social interaction, communication, and learning capacity. As a result, children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) may also struggle with other learning disabilities, including dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia (Henderson et al., 2014; Davidson & Weismer, 2014; Grindle et al., 2020). Even with high reading and spelling skills, children on the spectrum may struggle with reading comprehension, linked to communication and understanding expression difficulties.
The paper examines five peer-reviewed articles on the growth of reading ability in autistic children, delving into the researchers’ psychological theories and ethical behaviors. The publications used the following approaches to apply cognitive psychology theory: behavioral, psychometric, information-processing, and social contextual. Cognitive psychology theory focuses on the role of the mind in learning, where the learner absorbs information, undertakes mental operations, and stores it in memory. Another aspect examined in this paper is the ethical principles applied by the researchers during the recruitment of participants, data collection, and analysis.
Cognitive Theory
Cognition is a general term to describe mental processes related to thought, judgment, language, and other higher mental functions. Therefore, cognitive theory examines the mental processes involved in learning and understanding to explain human behavior. It can be used to teach kids as young as infants up to adults learning new skills at workplace. Similarly, teachers can use cognitive theory concepts to produce better outcomes when creating learning and development programs for children. The theory is crucial for understanding why some students advance very fast or need more time in specific subjects to support each student improve in academics.
Theories Applied to the Topic and Research Findings
Henderson et al., 2014
The research applied the psychometric approach involving three standardized reading tests and answering comprehension questions. Psychometrics measures the quantitative factors that seem to make up intelligence, such as comprehension, reading, and perceiving. Henderson et al. (2014) established that individuals with ASD and concurrent language impairment have difficulties in reading compression. The study found that autistic children’s relative strength in word recognition may mask phonological decoding difficulties, which can limit the development of reading comprehension.
Davidson and Weismer, 2014
The study administered several assessment measures, including parent interviews, cognitive ability, language ability, early reading ability, and parent reports on socialization and early reading ability. The battery of assessments and interviews with parents on the participant’s socialization and early reading ability indicates the study applied the Psychometric and Social Contextual approaches. The social contextual approach is based on Vygotsky’s Sociocultural Theory, which focuses on a child’s social, cultural, and historical complex to understand cognitive development. On a standardized test of early reading skills, the overall reading levels of children with autism fell within the normal range, according to the findings of this study.
McIntyre et al., 2018
The study recruited participants to participate in a longitudinal study of social and academic development in the form of assessment sessions. Performance of IQ tests and evaluation of social effect and restricted and repetitive behavior implies the research used Psychometric and Behavioral approaches. Behavioral theory explains an individual’s behavior change in response to the environment, whereas classical conditioning theory fits the context of this study. A classical conditioning theory states that individuals learn to make reflexes or involuntary stimuli that initially did not provoke the response. Results from the study suggest that children with autism performed lower than their counterparts on word recognition, oral language, and development of the theory of the mind.
Grindle et al., 2020
The study assessed the children’s reading skills and asked them to answer comprehension questions, scoring the errors made and evaluating the duration of attention. Assessment methods are consistent with the Psychometric approach and Information-Processing theory. The information-processing theory is concerned with individual differences in cognition to describe the mental processes involved in acquiring and recollecting information or problem-solving. After using Headsprout Reading Comprehension (HRC) for four months, the test outcomes showed children with autism improved their reading comprehension skills.
Kljajevic, 2022
The study scored the performance of children with ASD and typical kids in the same age group in word reading, spelling, and numerical operations. The authors also investigated the possibility that verbal IQ could mitigate the impact of diagnostic status on these scores. Using tests to assess reading, spelling, and numerical operations is typical of the Psychometric approach. Although the study found autistic children to be worse in numerical operations, they had similar scores with their counterparts in word reading and spelling.
Ethical Behaviors Used by the Researchers
The studies followed the informed consent rule properly and ensured individuals participated voluntarily. The ethical code mandates that researchers must inform the participants about the research’s purpose, expected duration, and procedures. For instance, Henderson et al. (2014) recruited ASD children from special education and mainstream schools after meeting with the school administration. Furthermore, written consent was obtained from the parents, including additional information that was essential in the recruitment process. The other studies also complied with the Institutional Review Broad (IRB) and obtained written parental consent, including child assent, before data collection. In this context, the researchers mainly dealt with minors or people with disabilities. Therefore, seeking permission from people with access to the information or authority over the participants demonstrated ethical compliance.
All the studies upheld the respect, confidentiality, and privacy of the research participants. For example, Davidson & Weismer (2014) omitted the state participants lived in to avoid revealing detailed information about residences. Other studies have considered striping of identifying information from the published research, such as using arbitrary names and generalizations to protect the confidentiality and privacy of the participants. Besides, the studies have avoided identifying specific institutions of the participants where necessary to protect their identity.
The studies communicate honest, realiable, and credible results, including the recruitment process. Credible research starts from the inclusion process up to the presentation, meaning procedures must be correct to produce reliable results. For example, the inclusion criteria by McIntyre et al. (2018) were that participants had to be between 5 and 7 years and have sufficient language and reading skills. Following strict selection criteria ensures the data collected is authentic and consistent. At the end of the studies, the authors acknowledge the limitations of the paper, which is essential for ensuring the research is as transparent as possible. Honesty is the other ethical aspect of the studies, such as truthful data interpretation. For instance, the study findings reflect the results obtained in the research without bias.
How the Ethical Behaviors Can Apply to My Life
Informed consent is an essential legal and ethical expression of a person’s right to have their autonomy and self-determination respected. For example, informed consent is applicable in scenarios when I borrowed an item from peers, where oral consent is essential. Verbal consent is necessary for my daily life in college because it shows respect for individual property and personal space. Confidentiality, respect, and privacy also play a crucial role in my daily interaction with friends. In the learning setting, friends confide some information that could be damaging when divulged to third parties. Therefore, I maintain a high level of privacy and confidentiality to encourage friends to be honest or forthcoming in conversations.
Communicating results honestly and credibly is a vital virtue applicable to my studies. Often, my area of study involves gathering data for classwork, which may include interviewing college mates. I strive to collect accurate data as possible to avoid providing misleading results in my research. It provides some form of accomplishment, honesty, and accuracy, which are the academic standards in my institution.
Conclusion
The studies evaluated in this paper utilize cognitive theory, a learning concept that focuses on internal processes surrounding information and memory. Research methods applied in the studies seek to assess word reading, spelling skills, and numerical operations aligned with the cognitive psychology theory. The findings indicate reading and comprehension of children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) fall within the normal ranges, but phonological decoding difficulties can limit their reading comprehension. The conclusions show that this study examined the cognitive abilities of ASD children; therefore, they fit the profile of the cognitive theory. Besides, these studies comply with ethical codes of conduct in research: informed consent, upholding respect, confidentiality, and privacy of participants, and communicating real, credible, and reliable results.
References
Davidson, M., & Weismer, S. (2014). Characterization and prediction of early reading abilities in children on the autism spectrum. Journal of Autism Development Disorder, 44(4): 828–845. Web.
Grindle, C., Kurzeja, O., Tyler, E., Saville, M., Hughes, J., Hastings, R., & Brown, F. (2020). Teaching children with autism reading comprehension skills using online reading instruction: Preliminary evaluation of headsprout reading comprehension. Journal of International Special Needs Education, 23(1). 1-12. Web.
Henderson, L., Clarke, P., & Snowling, M. (2014). Reading comprehension impairement in Autism spectrum disorder. L’Année psychologique, 114(4), 779-797. Web.
Kljajevic, V. (2022). Literacy and numeracy in children on autism spectrum disorder. Advances in Neurodevelopmental Disorders, 1-7. Web.
McIntyre, N., Oswald, T., Solari, E., Zajic, M., Lerro, L., Hughes, C., Devine, R., Mundy, P. (2018). Social cognition and Reading comprehension in children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorders or typical development. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 54 (1), 9-20. Web.