Brain and Reading Enhancement in Autism Spectrum Disorder (BrainREAD)

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Project end date: August 1, 2026

This National Institute of Health (NIH)-funded project tests the efficacy of a rigorous reading intervention on reading comprehension and brain responses in autistic and non-autistic children with comprehension difficulties. Participants will receive an intervention, Visualizing and Verbalizing (V/V) for Language Comprehension and Thinking, from Lindamood-Bell Learning Processes.  In our previous studies, we have found significant success with this intervention, and we are now extending the application of our science to children to receive the V/V intervention free of cost if they are eligible for the study. We are recruiting children with autism (ages 7-13 years) who have strong reading fluency and accuracy skills (ability to read at age level with minimal errors), but difficulties in reading comprehension.  

The study has 3 phases: pre-testing, intervention, and post-testing. Pre- and post-testing will take place at the University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB). There are two days of testing for both pre-and post-sessions- one day for evaluation testing and one day for MRI scanning. The first day lasts 4.5 hours and consists of a variety of paper-and-pencil assessments. The second day consists of the fMRI scan, which includes 30 minutes of participant preparation and 1 hour of scanning (1.5 hours total). Participants are compensated $125 for pre-and post-testing and are responsible for travel and accommodations to UAB.

Those interested and/or who would like more information may contact us at (205) 202-0616 or [email protected].