Advisor(s)

Rajesh Kana

Committee Member(s)

Caroline Richter
Donna Murdaugh
Sarah O'Kelley
Sylvie Mrug

Document Type

Dissertation

Date of Award

6-4-2026

Degree Name

Doctor of Philosophy (PhD)

School

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Psychology

Abstract

Reading comprehension is a complex skill that relies on linguistic and cognitive abilities, including executive control processes. Creating a cohesive representation of text involves maintaining visual and verbal information in short term memory (STM) and using executive control skills to integrate information, apply it to questions, and draw inferences. Many autistic children demonstrate strong individual word reading (decoding) but poor comprehension, resulting in a discrepant reading profile. The role of STM and executive control—along with the underlying neural systems that support these processes—in reading comprehension and response to intervention has not been examined in autistic children with this profile. The current study investigated whether a composite score of visual and verbal STM predicts changes in reading comprehension following participation in a visual-imagery–based reading intervention, the Visualizing and Verbalizing (V/V) for language comprehension and thinking. Reciprocally, we examined whether these cognitive skills improved after the intervention. We further evaluated whether baseline resting-state functional connectivity within the executive control network (ECN), and between the ECN and regions supporting visual memory, predicted intervention response or changed following intervention. Autistic children, ages 7–13 years, with a discrepant reading profile completed assessments of word reading, comprehension, general cognitive ability, and memory before (Time 1; T1) and after (Time 2; T2) the V/V intervention (ASD-EXP group). A separate group of autistic children, who completed the intervention after the T2 cognitive assessment, served as a control group (ASD-WLC group). Multiple regression analyses indicated that STM significantly predicted gains in reading comprehension. In addition, children who completed the intervention demonstrated improvements in STM relative to controls. In ASD-EXP group, weaker frontal–parietal connectivity predicted greater comprehension gains, potentially reflecting more efficient network organization that promoted greater reliance on visual imagery–based processes. Exploratory findings suggested increases in connectivity between ECN and visual processing regions from pre- to post-intervention compared to controls, consistent with enhanced integration of cognitive and perceptual systems. These findings highlight the role of STM in imagery-based reading improvements and suggest that individual differences in executive-network connectivity may shape autistic learners’ ability to shift between cognitive and perceptual strategies during reading.

Keywords

autism;executive function;functional connectivity;reading comprehension;short-term memory;V/V intervention

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