Adapting a virtual manipulative-based instructional sequence to target maintenance.

Bassette et al. (2023) tested a new twist on the classic VRA math sequence. They added an extra step called 'extended abstract' to make skills stick longer.

Three elementary students with autism or intellectual disability joined. The team used a multiple-baseline design across math behaviors. Kids first dragged virtual blocks, then drew pictures, then used numbers, and finally solved word problems without any props.

All three students learned the new math skills. Scores went up during teaching and stayed above baseline.

Maintenance was shaky. Some kids kept the skill for weeks; others needed booster shots. The extra abstract phase helped, but not evenly.

Vostanis et al. (2021) also taught math to students with IDD. They used daily fluency timings instead of virtual blocks. Both teams saw gains, but Vostanis got stronger maintenance. The difference: daily practice versus weekly probes.

Ulriksen et al. (2024) checked maintenance too. They taught reading to AAC users and saw steady upkeep. Their secret was short, mixed review trials baked into every lesson. Laura's team did not include that kind of spaced review.

Cariveau et al. (2016) showed that varied trials with quick 2-second gaps help skills last in DTT. Laura's virtual lessons used longer gaps and massed formats, which may explain the uneven maintenance.

If you run VRA lessons on a tablet, add the extended abstract step Laura used, but do not stop there. Build in daily mini-probes like Vostanis, mix old and new problems like Britt, and keep inter-trial intervals brief like Cariveau. That trio of tweaks should give you both acquisition and durable maintenance.