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

Abstract

Basic mathematic skills at the early age are foundational for later learning. Many students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) struggle in academic learning without sufficient support. Research in the area of concrete manipulatives—tangible representations of abstract concepts—has been found effective. In addition, promising research has emerged in the area of virtual manipulatives—virtual representations of abstract concepts—as tools to support mathematics skill acquisition. Using a multiple baseline across participants with an embedded alternating treatment design, this study presents a replication of previous research comparing the effects of concrete and virtual manipulatives in the acquisition of double-digit addition and word problem-solving abilities of three elementary students with ASD. Findings indicate that while both interventions produce better outcomes than baseline, the virtual manipulative condition appear to be more supportive than concrete manipulatives.

Learning to Make Change Via Virtual Money Manipulative, System of Least Prompts, and Modeling Online

“…Virtual manipulatives are generally digital representations of concrete manipulatives that are accessible by mobile device apps or internet-based web apps (Bouck, Mathews, & Stenzel, 2020). For students with disabilities in general, researchers suggested virtual manipulatives were just as effective as concrete manipulatives (Peltier et al, 2020; Satsangi et al, 2016; Shurr et al, 2021). Researchers found a preference for virtual manipulatives among secondary students and also suggested some concrete manipulatives can be stigmatizing for secondary students given they are more commonly used with younger students (Satsangi et al, 2016; Satsangi & Miller, 2017).…”

An Evidence-Based Practice Synthesis of Virtual Manipulatives for Students With ASD and IDD

“…While concrete manipulatives are the most common conceptualization of manipulatives, virtual manipulatives have gained in use over the past decade (Bouck et al, 2020; Root et al, 2021; Satsangi & Miller, 2017; Shurr et al, 2021). Virtual manipulatives are mathematics manipulatives offered in a digital format, such as app or web-based, for use on devices such as computers or tablets (Bouck & Flanagan, 2010; Satsangi & Miller, 2017).…”

Mathematics Learning Through Online Video-Based Instruction for an Autistic Child

“…There is a significant body of literature which supports the use of both virtual (Bouck & Park, 2020 ; Bouck et al, 2020 ; Jimenez & Besaw, 2020 ; Park et al, 2020 ; Root et al, 2021 ) and concrete (Yakubova et al, 2016 , 2020 ) manipulatives for teaching mathematics skills to K-12 autistic students. Although both types of manipulatives have been shown to be effective for teaching mathematics skills to autistic students, past studies that have compared the two types of manipulatives have found that typically students both preferred and performed better with virtual manipulatives (Root et al, 2017 ; Shurr et al, 2021 ). In addition, students have also been shown to complete more problem-solving steps and reach independence faster with virtual compared to concrete manipulatives (Bassette et al, 2019 ; Bouck et al, 2014 ).…”