Autism Reading Comprehension Tip: Preview Information with a Primer Passage

Imagine being given this paragraph to read:

In the post-inflationary universe, non-linear scalar perturbations—especially in models with a blue-tilted spectrum—can significantly enhance small-scale power, potentially leading to primordial black hole formation during horizon re-entry. These effects, combined with second-order tensor mode contributions and evolving background parameters like the sound speed and equation-of-state ww, challenge standard predictions of CMB anisotropies. Accurate modeling thus requires loop-corrected perturbation theory and refined numerical tools like CLASS or CAMB.

If you're like me, you'd have no idea what it means! Since this is what it might feel like when we give an autistic student a passage or story (depending on the topic and reading level of course), there's a quick way we can make it easier.

Imagine being given the same paragraph, but given this to read first:

Key Highlights:

• Tiny early-universe ripples can grow and affect space over time.

• Some ripples might even help form black holes!

• Scientists use computer programs to study how this all affects what we see in the sky today.

• It's really hard to predict because space changes quickly after the Big Bang.

The paragraph is perhaps still a bit above my reading level in this topic, but this list can help give a much needed context and preview of what we'll be reading about. It's often very helpful for autistic students to use this as well. Here are some examples from worksheets I've made, along with the links to download them for free. Click on each picture for the link.

Primer Page:

Reading Passage: