Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Instruction on the Reading Skills of the Child with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Keywords:
ASD, Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Instruction, Reading InterventionAbstract
This study investigates the efficacy of Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Instruction in enhancing the reading abilities of a child who has been identified as having autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The study seeks to tackle the obstacles encountered by people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) when acquiring reading abilities. The study thoroughly examines existing literature to demonstrate the fundamental importance of phonological awareness in developing reading skills. Furthermore, it highlights the effects of Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Instruction on the reading skills of a 7-year-old subject named 'Jojo,' a student at Tecoy Porter College Prep in Sacramento, California. The study uses a single-case pre-experimental design. The intervention comprised 10–15-minute daily sessions conducted over ten weeks. It focused on eight essential reading abilities as specified in the Heggerty curriculum, which included phonological awareness skills. After the intervention, Jojo's reading abilities were enhanced, particularly in rhyme detection, onset fluency, blending, and segmenting words. The encouraging findings emphasize the effectiveness of tailored reading support, like the Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Instruction, in improving the reading skills of children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This study underscores the importance of evidence-based practices in supporting the educational needs of children with ASD and recommends further research to validate and extend these findings. This study contributes to the existing literature on literacy interventions for children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), supporting the inclusion of Heggerty Phonemic Awareness Instruction in special education programs to enhance reading abilities and academic achievements in this specific learning need.
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