Comparative Effectiveness of Two Sight-Word Reading Interventions for a Student with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Abstract

Traditional drill and practice (TDP) and incremental rehearsal (IR) are flashcard drill techniques for teaching sight words to students. Although both have extensive research support, no study to date has compared these methods with children who have autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Utilizing an adaptive alternating treatments design, the present study compared TDP and IR with a second-grade student, educated in a substantially separate classroom, who was diagnosed with ASD (N = 1). Retention, maintenance, and generalization results suggested that both methods were effective interventions for enhancing sight-word recognition. However, TDP was more effective and efficient than IR across retention, maintenance, and generalization measures. Limitations and implications of the study for school-based professionals are discussed.