Effects of a Story Map on Accelerated Reader Postreading Test Scores in Students With High-Functioning Autism

In this study, three elementary-aged boys with high-functioning autism (HFA) were taught to use a graphic organizer called a Story Map as a postreading tool during language arts instruction. Students learned to accurately complete the Story Map. The effect of the intervention on story recall was assessed within the context of a multiple-baseline design across participants as measured by performance on modified Accelerated Reader quizzes. Positive effects were achieved quickly and maintained throughout the study. During choice and maintenance conditions, two participants rarely chose to use the graphic organizer, a visual prompt that may have been self-faded during intervention. Results show that a Story Map may be a useful graphic organizer for elementary schoolteachers who have children with HFA in their classrooms.