Influence of colour on acquisition and generalisation of graphic symbols.
Try grey-scale symbols first; probe generalisation early to avoid stuck skills.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Four preschoolers with autism learned picture symbols on a computer.
The program showed stories and games. Half the pictures were in color. Half were grey.
The team used an alternating-treatments design. They switched color and grey sets each day.
What they found
All four kids learned both color and grey symbols. They kept the skills two weeks later.
Two children used the symbols in new places better when they first saw grey pictures.
Grey-scale first may help some learners transfer the skill to new cards.
How this fits with other research
Pai Khot et al. (2023) later used picture cards to teach tooth brushing to older autistic kids. Their positive result shows the idea keeps working after preschool.
Evans et al. (2024) also ran computer lessons with quick prompts. They taught signs instead of pictures. Both studies show computers can deliver fast, clear trials.
Davis et al. (1994) found pronoun trouble in autism but did not test symbols. The new study gives a tool for that gap.
Why it matters
Start teaching symbols in grey for every new learner. After a week probe generalisation with color cards. If the child transfers easily, add color. If not, stay grey longer. This five-minute check can save weeks of re-teaching later.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: Children with autism may benefit from using graphic symbols for their communication, language and literacy development. The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of colour versus grey-scale displays on the identification of graphic symbols using a computer-based intervention. METHOD: An alternating treatment design was employed to examine the learning and generalisation of 58 colour and grey-scale symbols by four preschool children with autism. The graphic symbols were taught via a meaning-based intervention using stories and educational games. RESULTS AND CONCLUSIONS: Results demonstrate that all of the children were able to learn and maintain symbol identification over time for both symbol displays with no apparent differences. Differences were apparent for two of the children who exhibited better generalisation when learning grey-scale symbols first. The other two showed no noticeable difference, between displays when generalising from one display to the other. Implications and further research are discussed.
Journal of intellectual disability research : JIDR, 2013 · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2788.2012.01584.x