Westerveld, M. F., Filiatrault-Veilleux, P., & Paynter, J. (2021). Inferential narrative comprehension ability of young school-age children on the autism spectrum. Autism & Developmental Language Impairments, 6, 1-13. https://doi.org/10.1177/23969415211035666

In this study, we demonstrate how narrative comprehension (assessed using the Ana gets lost task - see story retell tasks) can be assessed in young school-age children on the autism spectrum. The scoring system used to categorize children’s responses may further assist in understanding children’s performance, across a quality continuum, which can guide detailed goal setting and assist in early targeted intervention planning. 

Clendon, S., Paynter, J., Walker, S., Bowen, R., & Westerveld, M. F. (2021). Emergent literacy assessment in children with autism spectrum disorder who have limited verbal communication skills: A tutorial. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 52(1), 165-180. doi:10.1044/2020_LSHSS-20-00030

Westerveld, M. F., Paynter, J., & Adams, D. (2021). Brief report: Associations between autism characteristics, written and spoken communication skills, and social interaction skills in preschool-age children on the autism spectrum. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-021-04889-x

Westerveld, M. F., Paynter, J., & Wicks, R. (2020). Shared book reading behaviors of parents and their verbal preschoolers on the autism spectrum. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 50, 3005-3017. doi:10.1007/s10803-020-04406-6

Westerveld, M. F., Paynter, J., Brignell, A., & Reilly, S. (2020). No differences in code-related emergent literacy skills in well-matched 4-year-old children with and without ASD. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. doi:10.1007/s10803-020-04407-5

Wicks, R., Paynter, J., & Westerveld, M. F. (2020). Looking or talking: Visual attention and verbal engagement during shared book reading of preschool children on the autism spectrum. Autism, 24(6), 1384-1399. doi:10.1177/1362361319900594

Westerveld, M. F., & Roberts, J. M. A. (2017). The oral narrative comprehension and production abilities of verbal preschoolers on the autism spectrum. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools (48), 260-272. doi: 10.1044/2017_LSHSS-17-0003

In this study we describe the oral narrative comprehension and production skills of verbal preschool-age children on the autism spectrum, using the Ana Gets Lost story, and investigate correlations between oral narrative ability and norm-referenced language test performance. Compared with published data on typically developing children, significant difficulties were observed in narrative comprehension, intelligibility, and grammatical accuracy. Most of the children told descriptive or action sequences, with only 1 child producing an abbreviated episode. Significant positive correlations were found (a) between performance on the Peabody Picture Vocabulary Test–Fourth Edition (Dunn & Dunn, 2007) and semantic diversity and narrative comprehension and (b) between parent-reported receptive communication competence (Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales–Second Edition) and narrative comprehension. This study provides preliminary evidence of specific difficulties in oral narrative comprehension and production skills in verbal preschoolers on the autism spectrum

Westerveld, M. F., Paynter, J., O'Leary, K., & Trembath, D. (2018). Preschool predictors of reading ability in the first year of schooling in children with ASD. Autism Research, 11, 1332-1344. doi:10.1002/aur.1999

Westerveld, M. F., Paynter, J., Trembath, D., Webster, A. A., Hodge, A. M., & Roberts, J. (2017). The emergent literacy skills of preschool children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 47(2), 424-438. doi: 10.1007/s10803-016-2964

Westerveld, M. F., Paynter, J., & Trembath, D. (2016). Reading instruction for children with ASD: Getting the story straight. Journal of Clinical Practice in Speech-Language Pathology, 18, 80-83.

Westerveld, M. F., Trembath, D., Shellshear, L., & Paynter, J. (2016). A systematic review of the literature on emergent literacy skills of preschool children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. The Journal of Special Education, 50(1), 37-48. doi: 10.1177/0022466915613593

Paynter, J., Westerveld, M. F., & Trembath, D. (2016). Reading assessment in children with autism spectrum disorder. Journal of Psychologists and Counsellors in Schools, 26(2), 205-217. doi: doi 10.1017/jgc.2016.15

O’Leary, K. A., Flückiger, B., Paynter, J., & Westerveld, M. F. (2019). Parent perceptions of literacy learning of their young children on the autism spectrum in their first year of schooling. Australian Journal of Education, 63(2), 140-156, doi:10.1177/0004944119860639.

Westerveld, M. F., & Paynter, J. (2021). Introduction to the Forum: Literacy in Autism - Across the Spectrum. Language, Speech, and Hearing Services in Schools, 52(1), 149-152. doi:10.1044/2020_LSHSS-20-00124