Associations Between Audiovisual Integration and Reading Comprehension in Autistic and Non-autistic School-Aged Children

Although not considered a core feature of autism, autistic children often present with difficulties in reading comprehension, which is a multisensory process involving translation of print to speech sounds (i.e., decoding) and interpreting words in context (i.e., language comprehension). This study tested the hypothesis that audiovisual integration may explain individual differences in reading comprehension, through its relations with decoding and language comprehension, in autistic and non-autistic children. To test our hypothesis, we conducted a concurrent correlational study involving 50 autistic and 50 non-autistic school-aged children (8-17 years of age) matched at the group level on biological sex and chronological age. Participants completed a battery of tests probing their reading comprehension, decoding, and language comprehension, as well as a psychophysical task assessing audiovisual integration as indexed by susceptibility to the McGurk illusion. A series of regression analyses was carried out to test relations of interest. Audiovisual integration was significantly associated with reading comprehension, decoding, and language comprehension, with moderate-to-large effect sizes. Mediation analyses revealed that the relation between audiovisual integration and reading comprehension was completely mediated by decoding and language comprehension, with standardized indirect effects indicating significant mediation through both pathways. These associations did not vary according to diagnostic group. This work highlights the potential role of audiovisual integration in language and literacy development and underscores the potential for multisensory-based interventions to improve reading outcomes in autistic and non-autistic children. Future research should employ longitudinal designs and more diverse samples to replicate and extend these findings.