Increasing Sight-Phrase Reading through an iPad Intervention for a Second Grade Student with Autism

Automaticity, defined as accurate and effortless word recognition, impacts a student’s ability to read fluently. Although there is evidence that teaching students to read sight words in isolation can increase automaticity, few studies have examined the effects of interventions designed to teach students to read sight phrases. In this study, a multiple-probe design across sets of phrases was used to investigate the effects of an app-based flashcard intervention on sight-phrase acquisition for a student with autism included in a general education classroom. Time-series graphs show that the student was able to increase the percentage of acquired phrases from 0 to 100% and able to maintain the acquired phrases after the intervention was removed. Discussion focuses on the implications of the sight-phrase intervention for teachers and students with autism.