(Brain and Reading Enhancement in Autism spectrum Disorder)

Reading comprehension is an integral part of learning and acquiring knowledge. Many autistic children struggle with understanding the meaning of written text, despite average or above average decoding ability (translating written symbols into phonetic sound). This subgroup of children may go unnoticed in classrooms and their difficulty can significantly impact their academic performance.

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In this National Institute of Health (NIH)-funded project, we examine the nature of the “reading brain” in a large pool of autistic children. These children participate in an intense intervention program called “Visualizing and Verbalizing for Language Comprehension and Thinking” (V/V). Moreover, we test the impact of this intervention in improving the coordinated brain function in autistic children and how that facilitates improved reading comprehension. ​​

This study investigates brain structure and function in autistic children with average IQ and reading comprehension deficits, non-autistic children with reading comprehension deficits, and typically-developing children with no reading comprehension deficits. We study the brain using functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) technology. We also use multiple evaluations outside the scanner to examine each child’s comprehension skills. Participation involves about 3-4 hours of testing outside the scanner (with breaks in between sections) and a 1.5-hours fMRI scan. You can be compensated up to $125 for the first scan and tests and an additional $125 for the follow-up scan and tests, 12 weeks later.

If interested, please contact us by emailing CAS-cbalab@uab.edu or calling (205)202-0616. You can also fill out our contact form and we will reach out to you.

Publications About BrainREAD

  • Beckerson, M.E., Miller, G.N., Trapani, J.A., Gurganus, M., O’Kelley, S.E., Kana, R.K. (2022). Vocabulary, decoding, and memory in autistic children with a discrepant reading profile. Poster to be presented at the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) Annual Meeting, Austin, TX.
  • Coburn, K.L., Trapani, J.A., O’Kelley, S.E., Kana, R.K. (2022). Effects of a Visualizing Intervention on Reading Comprehension in Autistic Children. Poster to be presented at the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) Annual Meeting, Austin, TX.
  • Miller, G.N., Beckerson, M.E., Trapani, J.A., O’Kelley, S.E., Kana, R.K. (2022). Picture memory in autistic children following a reading comprehension intervention. Poster to be presented at the International Society for Autism Research (INSAR) Annual Meeting, Austin, TX.
  • Maximo, J.O., Murdaugh, D.L., O’Kelley, S.E., Kana, R.K. (2017). Changes in Intrinsic Local Functional Connectivity in Children with Autism Following a Visualizing/Verbalizing Reading Intervention. Brain and Language. 175:11-17. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandl.2017.08.008
  • Murdaugh, D.L., Maximo, J.O., Cordes, C.E., O’Kelley, S., Kana, R.K. (2017). From word reading to multisentence comprehension: Improvements in brain activity in children with autism after reading intervention. Neuroimage: Clinical. 16: 303-312. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.nicl.2017.08.012
  • Bednarz, H.M., Maximo, J.O., Murdaugh, D.L., O’Kelley, S., Kana, R.K. (2017). “Decoding versus Comprehension”: brain responses underlying reading comprehension in children with autism. Brain and Language, 169, 39-47. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.bandl.2017.01.002
  • Murdaugh, D.L., Deshpande, H.D., & Kana, R.K. (2016). The impact of reading intervention on brain responses underlying language in children with autism. Autism Research, 9(1), 141-154. https://doi.org/10.1002/aur.1503
  • ​Murdaugh, D.L., Maximo, J.O., & Kana, R.K. (2015). Changes in intrinsic connectivity of the brain’s reading network following intervention in children with autism. Human Brain Mapping, 36(8), 2965-2979. https://doi.org/10.1002/hbm.22821