Using a Virtual-Representational-Abstract Integrated Framework to Teach Multiplicative Problem Solving to Middle School Students with Developmental Disabilities

Teacher-Implemented Modified Schema-Based Instruction with Middle-Grade Students with Autism and Intellectual Disability

“…Baseline data demonstrate participants across all three student dyads were unable to independently solve the multiplicative comparison word problems with the materials alone (i.e., heuristic, schematic diagram, manipulatives, and calculator). Participants in the first student dyad participated in a research study on the effects of the virtual-representation-abstract (VRA) framework to teach word problem-solving in the prior school year (Root, Cox, et al, 2021), which may be the reason that their performance in baseline was slightly higher than their peers. With the exception of Drake, participants had stable patterns of behavior with no trend or counter-therapeutic trend in baseline.…”

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

“…It also adds novel findings on the effects of using video modeling and virtual manipulatives with children of this age group. The majority of the research on teaching mathematics skills using video modeling and virtual manipulatives has focused on upper elementary, middle, and high school autistic students (Kellems et al, 2016 ; Root et al, 2021 ; Yakubova et al, 2020 ). It also adds to scarce evidence on effective online instruction provided synchronously to help students continue instruction, particularly, at times when a student cannot attend school in-person due to medical illness, public health crisis, or other situations.…”

“…This may be particularly helpful for students who have strengths in visual processing or challenges with attention and language processing, which are common traits among autistic students. 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 ).…”

Effects of Using Virtual Manipulatives for Students With Disabilities: Three-Level Multilevel Modeling for Single-Case Data

“…As previously noted, various types and visual models embedded in VMs can be used flexibly in mathematics interventions. Teachers can apply authoring tools (e.g., SMART Notebook software) to create interactive materials (Root et al, 2020) across mathematical domains. From the perspective of assistive technology, VMs can provide a new means of representation that interactively supports students' visualization of mathematical concepts.…”