Effects of Using Prompts During Parent-Child Shared Reading on the Language Development of Mildly Autistic Children.

This study looked at how different types of questions during shared reading between parents and autistic children affect language development. 187 children participated in a 12-week program where parents used either literal questions (about what happened) or inferential questions (about meaning and connections). Both types of questions helped children's language skills, but literal questions were better for building confidence and enjoyment in reading, while inferential questions improved word reading and understanding.

This randomized controlled trial examined the effects of literal prompts (LPs) and inferential prompts (IPs) during parent-child shared book reading on language development in 187 mildly autistic Chinese children. Participants were randomly assigned to three groups (LP, IP, or control) for a 12-week intervention. Results showed that both prompting strategies had positive effects on language skills and affective factors related to language learning. Specifically, literal prompts were more beneficial for developing affective factors, while inferential prompts were more effective for improving Chinese word reading and listening comprehension skills.

The study demonstrates the potential benefits of structured prompting strategies during shared reading activities for supporting language development in autistic children.

Clinicians can recommend structured prompting strategies during parent-child shared reading, tailoring prompt types based on goals: literal prompts for building reading engagement and inferential prompts for comprehension skills. This provides a practical, home-based intervention that parents can implement with professional guidance.

The study was conducted with Chinese-speaking children, which may limit generalizability to other languages and cultures. The abstract does not provide details about outcome measures, effect sizes, or long-term follow-up. The term 'mildly autistic' lacks precision in current diagnostic frameworks.

The use of literal prompts (LPs) and inferential prompts (IPs) in shared book reading (SBR) facilitates children's use of language and promotes their thinking and understanding about the stories discussed and beyond. Furthermore, SBR provides a platform for mildly autistic children to have multiple rounds of communication with educators. This study investigated the contribution of LPs and IPs on the language development and affective factors of language learning in mildly autistic children. This study included 187 mildly autistic Chinese children who were stratified by random sampling and assigned into three groups (LP, IP and control).

The mildly autistic children's language skills were tested immediately before and after the 12-week SBR intervention. Their parents were also included in this study. The results indicated that using prompts had positive effects on the mildly autistic children's language skills and on the affective factors central to language development. Moreover, LPs were beneficial in fostering mildly autistic children's affective factor development, whilst IPs fostered their Chinese word reading and listening comprehension skills.

These findings indicated the benefits of using prompts during parent-child SBR, along with the extent to which prompts contribute to different language skills and affective factors central to language development in mildly autistic children.