Brief Report: Preliminary Proposal of a Conceptual Model of a Digital Environment for Developing Mathematical Reasoning in Students with Autism Spectrum Disorders

Abstract

There is clear evidence that in typically developing children reasoning and sense-making are essential in all mathematical learning and understanding processes. In children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), however, these become much more significant, considering their importance to successful independent living. This paper presents a preliminary proposal of a digital environment, specifically targeted to promote the development of mathematical reasoning in students with ASD. Given the diversity of ASD, the prototyping of this environment requires the study of dynamic adaptation processes and the development of activities adjusted to each user's profile. We present the results obtained during the first phase of this ongoing research, describing a conceptual model of the proposed digital environment. Guidelines for future research are also discussed.

Virtual Versus Concrete: A Comparison of Mathematics Manipulatives for Three Elementary Students With Autism

“…The data in this present study and that of Bouck et al (2014), Bassette, Bouck, Shurr, Park, and Creamans (2019), and Bassette, Bouck, Shurr, Park, Creamans, Rork, et al (2019) suggest that while both VM and CM can be a highly beneficial teaching tools for basic mathematic operations, VM may have a slight edge for young students with ASD. Students with ASD often have difficulties in mathematics related to deductive reasoning, problem solving, and abstract thinking (Santos et al, 2015). While CM can be part of a healthy mathematics instructional tool kit, VM can help students build conceptual understanding of basic computation and word-problem solving as they are able to visualize and interact with mathematical concepts in a virtual format.…”

A Systematic Literature Review on the Efficacy of Emerging Computer Technologies in Inclusive Education for Students with Autism Spectrum Disorder

“…The most prominent research designs utilized by previous studies to demonstrate the efficacy of various computer technologies in supporting ASD-inclusive education include case studies [25,26,37], experimental designs [8,10,12,16,20,38], systems developments and implementations [15,17,21,29,30,32,47,48], mixed study designs [19, 22-24, 27, 28, 33-36, 39-42, 49-51], observation [18] and quantitative research methodologies [7,52]. Furthermore, the research methodologies were limited by small sample sizes and were mainly conducted in the US [7,12,25,34,35,[38][39][40][41][42][50][51][52], and European countries [10,15,17,26,27,32,37]. Noteworthy, many relevant studies utilized small sample sizes, lacking long-term data and evidence of consensus with best ASDinclusive practices.…”

“…The systematic literature search of the present study identified the most frequently employed emerging computer technologies for ASD-inclusive education, as shown with the help of Figure 9 and Table 1. Several studies aimed at supporting learners with ASD in inclusive settings using various technologies including mobile applications [7,10,12,[27][28][29][30], educational robots [8,[21][22][23][24]49], gamified applications [25,26,48,52], video modeling [37][38][39][40], augmented reality [18][19][20], virtual reality [15][16][17], educational multimedia [34][35][36], maker program [50,51], wearable devices [41,42], and web applications [32,33]. Future studies must revisit the efficacy of the existing technological interventions and propose practical enhancements to provide sustainable strategies for ASDinclusive education in evolving societies.…”

“…Particularly, emerging computer technologies have potential benefits for students with ASD in inclusive learning environments. For instance, exemplary studies have shown how virtual reality (VR) may create immersive and engaging learning experiences for enhancing social skills, communication, and emotional regulation [15][16][17], and augmented reality (AR) can assist students with autism in understanding and interacting with their environment [18][19][20]. Adaptive learning experience, feedback, and practice for learning new skills are all possible with robotic assistants [8,[21][22][23][24].…”

Lema as a Digital Object Manipulation Learning Environment

“…LEMA integrates modalities of dynamic adaptation of the activities proposed to the user. These activities are designed to promote the development of mathematical reasoning, having in account a preliminary study carried out with children aged between 6 and 12 years diagnosed with ASD [9]. The functional profiles of the selected students for this study have played, as naturally expected, a fundamental role in the design of these activities.…”