Rajiv Satsangi

Virtual and concrete manipulatives: a comparison of approaches for solving mathematics problems for students with autism spectrum disorder.

Students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are included in general education classes and expected to participate in general education content, such as mathematics. Yet, little research explores academically-based mathematics instruction for this population. This single subject alternating treatment design study explored the effectiveness of concrete (physical objects that can be manipulated) and virtual (3-D objects from the Internet that can be manipulated) manipulatives to teach single- and double-digit subtraction skills. Participants in this study included three elementary-aged students (ages ranging from 6 to 10) diagnosed with ASD. Students were selected from a clinic-based setting, where all participants received medically necessary intensive services provided via one-to-one, trained therapists. Both forms of manipulatives successfully assisted students in accurately and independently solving subtraction problem. However, all three students demonstrated greater accuracy and faster independence with the virtual manipulatives as compared to the concrete manipulatives. Beyond correctly solving the subtraction problems, students were also able to generalize their learning of subtraction through concrete and virtual manipulatives to more real-world applications.

Using Virtual Manipulative Instruction to Teach the Concepts of Area and Perimeter to Secondary Students With Learning Disabilities

Secondary students with a learning disability in mathematics often struggle with the academic demands presented in advanced mathematics courses, such as algebra and geometry. With greater emphasis placed on problem solving and higher level thinking skills in these subject areas, students with a learning disability in mathematics often fail to keep pace with their general education peers. This study sought to address the lack of existing empirical research targeting viable interventions for learning the concepts of area and perimeter for secondary students with a learning disability in mathematics. Through the use of a multiple baseline design across three participants, virtual manipulatives were found to be an effective tool to acquire, maintain, and generalize the concepts of area and perimeter. Results from this study provide new evidence showing virtual manipulatives to be a viable and accessible technology to teach students with learning disabilities advanced mathematical concepts.

Comparing the Effectiveness of Virtual and Concrete Manipulatives to Teach Algebra to Secondary Students With Learning Disabilities

A sizable body of literature exists studying various technologies and pedagogical practices for teaching secondary mathematics curriculum to students with a learning disability in mathematics. However, with the growing footprint of computer-based technologies in today’s classrooms, some areas of study, such as the use of virtual manipulatives, lack sufficient exploration. Although concrete manipulatives were studied for many decades for students with a learning disability and are considered a best practice, the research base for virtual manipulatives is notably less. With a specific focus on algebraic instruction, this study sought to compare the benefits of both forms of manipulatives to assist secondary students with a learning disability in mathematics to solve single-variable linear equations using a single-subject alternating treatment design. Over the course of 30 sessions of intervention, three students exhibited over 90% average accuracy solving problems using both virtual and concrete manipulatives, while the concrete manipulative earned higher scores for two of the three students.

Free Computer-Based Assistive Technology to Support Students With High-Incidence Disabilities in the Writing Process

Written expression is a neglected but critical component of education; yet, the writing process—from prewriting, to writing, and postwriting—is often an area of struggle for students with disabilities. One strategy to assist students with disabilities struggling with the writing process is the use of computer-based technology. This article presents free computer-based technology programs that can be used to support students with disabilities—as well as other struggling writers—in prewriting, writing, and postwriting. While many good for-purchase computer-based writing products exist, this article provides options for teachers and other school personnel trying to balance the needs of students with the realities of school budgets.

The Concrete–Representational–Abstract Approach for Students With Learning Disabilities: An Evidence-Based Practice Synthesis:

As researchers and practitioners have increasingly become interested in what practices are evidence based and for whom in education, different sets of quality indicators and evidence-based practice standards have emerged in the field of special education. Practices are commonly suggested as evidence based, even without a best evidence synthesis on the existing research, such as the case with the concrete–representational–abstract (CRA) instructional framework to support students with disabilities in mathematics. This study sought to support the classification of the CRA instructional framework as an evidence-based approach for students with learning disabilities by applying quality indicators and standards of evidence-based practice by Cook et al. (2014). Based on the application of the indicators and standards, the CRA instructional framework was determined to be an evidence-based practice for students with learning disabilities who struggle in mathematics relative to computational problems, such as addition, subtraction, and multiplication, largely with regrouping.

The case for adopting virtual manipulatives in mathematics education for students with disabilities

ABSTRACT The past four decades have generated significant research toward improving the academic outcomes of students with disabilities, especially in the field of mathematics. In this effort, the role of technology in the classroom, both high- and low-tech, has garnered significant attention. For students with disabilities, the use of manipulatives is a form of technology with an established research base. Although concrete manipulatives in instructional practice have been thoroughly studied, the emergence of virtual manipulatives presents teachers with new options for teaching mathematics to elementary and secondary students. This article discusses the use of virtual manipulatives for students with disabilities while highlighting the benefits they pose, such as providing students with flexible options for learning, promoting student autonomy, and offering educators a wider range of options to accommodate diverse groups of students.

Supporting grocery shopping for students with intellectual disability:a preliminary study.

Abstract Purpose: Decades of research exist supporting various types of self-operating prompting systems, including picture, audio and video to help students with disabilities acquire skills, especially to teach life skills. While many facets of life skills are important to target for instruction for secondary students with intellectual disability, one receiving declining attention is grocery shopping. Method: Using a single subject alternating treatment design with two high school students with intellectual disability, the authors analysed the impact of three self-operating prompts systems – picture, audio and video – on students’ successful selection of grocery items, independence in completing the task (i.e., percent of steps not prompted), and task completion time. Results: Results showed video prompting to be most successful prompting system for both students for selecting grocery items. However, independence and task completion time varied significantly for the students across the prompting systems. Conclusions: It is important to match the correct prompting system to individual students’ skills, needs and preference, but also to balance efficiency – both for educators and students. Implications for Rehabilitation Video prompting is an effective instructional strategy, but must be considered in light of time and skill to create the video prompts as well as social stigmatization of use in natural community settings. It is important to match the correct prompting system to each student, but also to balance efficiency – both for educators and students.

Studying Virtual Manipulatives Paired With Explicit Instruction to Teach Algebraic Equations to Students With Learning Disabilities

Over the last two decades, the significance of academic achievement for students with disabilities in K–12 education has increased. To meet the needs of this population, educators turned to innovative strategies and technologies for instructional support in the classroom. For students with a learning disability, the need for such solutions is vital to address many of the academic struggles they face in the area of mathematics education. One evidence-based strategy shown to support instruction for students with a learning disability is the use of manipulatives. Although concrete manipulatives were extensively studied for this population, the virtual form of this technology lacks comparable research. Using a multiple probe design across three secondary students with a learning disability in mathematics, this study assessed the benefits of an instructional strategy using a virtual manipulative balance paired with explicit instruction to teach multistep linear equations. Results showed increased percent accuracy and independence scores for all three students across an intervention and maintenance phase. These findings and their broader implications for the field of mathematics education are discussed.

Improving the Numerical Knowledge of Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder: The Benefits of Linear Board Games

A lack of numerical knowledge early on can impede a childs academic development. In past research, playing linear board games improved childrens understanding of numerical relations, which the authors theorised could extend to children with autism spectrum disorder. For this pilot study, 10 children played a board game where they moved tokens across coloured tiles displaying the numbers 1–10. During gameplay, students in the experimental group focused on the numbers on the tiles, while the control group focused on the colours. The assessment consisted of a number line estimation task, where students placed numbers ranging from 1 to 9 on a blank number line. Results showed children in the experimental group experienced statistically significant improvement in their understanding of numerical relationships of numbers on the number line estimation task. Findings indicate extended experiences with linear board games can support the numerical development of children with autism spectrum disorder.