Reading Metacomprehension in Spanish Adolescents with Autism Spectrum Disorder

Background: Metacomprehension is a key cognitive skill in reading comprehension. Although some theoretical models have attempted to explain how these processes are related to reading performance in typically developing readers, there is still insufficient evidence to determine the nature of these processes in people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) or whether differences exist between this population group and those with poor reading comprehension.Aims: The main aim of the present study was (1) to evaluate metacomprehension in ASD readers in comparison with that of non-autistic poor comprehenders and typically developing readers, and (2) to examine whether adolescents can adjust their metacomprehension skills appropriately to texts of different levels of difficulty.Method: A total of 61 readers were divided into three groups: (1) those with ASD, (2) those without ASD but with poor reading comprehension, and (3) typically developing readers. All groups were matched for text reading speed, age, non-verbal IQ, and working memory. An experimental task based on self-paced sentence-by-sentence reading paradigm was used to measure reading performance variables and comprehension and knowledge judgment.Results: In general, the results indicate similar reading behavior among participants with ASD and poor comprehenders, and both groups perform worse than typically developing readers.Conclusions: The findings do not support the idea of a specific low-performance profile typical of people with ASD for reading metacomprehension, but do indicate potential limitations which may be common to poor comprehenders.