Mathematical interventions for students with autism spectrum disorder: Recommendations for practitioners.
Teach math to students with autism or ID by breaking problems into tiny steps, adding pictures or objects, and giving quick prompts and praise.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Payne et al. (2020) read every math study they could find on students with autism or intellectual disability.
They did not run a new experiment. They sorted the old ones and wrote a short list of tips teachers can use tomorrow.
What they found
The team says the best math lessons have three parts. Break the skill into tiny steps. Use pictures or objects the child can move. Give quick help and quick praise.
They call this package "systematic instruction." It works for counting, addition, fractions, and word problems.
How this fits with other research
Yakubova et al. (2022) took the same idea online. One autistic preschooler learned add, subtract, and compare numbers through live video with virtual blocks. The child hit 100 % accuracy and kept it later. Their web lesson is an exact example of the tips K et al. describe.
Bellon-Harn et al. (2020) looked at writing instead of math. They also found that single tricks fail and bundles win. The match shows the same rule works across subjects.
Foti et al. (2015) reviewed reading and social studies lessons. They praise the same tools: model-lead-test, time delay, and visual supports. Again, the advice lines up.
No paper fights K et al. The field keeps repeating the same core package in new places.
Why it matters
You do not need a new kit. Use task analysis, visuals, and prompting in the math you already teach. Start with five-step sheets or virtual blocks on a tablet. Track correct answers minute by minute. Bump up prompts when errors rise and fade them when accuracy stays high. These three moves turn grade-level math into a lesson every learner with ASD or ID can follow.
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02At a glance
03Original abstract
Students with extensive support needs (ESN; i.e., autism spectrum disorder, intellectual disability, or both), have the ability to learn a variety of mathematical skills when taught using scientifically validated strategies (e.g., Bouck, Satsangi, Taber-Doughty, & Courtney, 2014; Creech-Galloway, Collins, Knight, & Bausch, 2013; Root, Browder, Saunders, & Lo, 2017). The urgency of teaching grade-aligned, mathematical standards to this population has significantly increased in the past two decades. Yet, in order to teach grade-aligned mathematics to individuals with disabilities, teachers need access to scientifically validated strategies that can be effective with this heterogeneous population. This article extends work by Fleury and colleagues (2014) by expanding their findings of interventions to teach academic content to students with ASD. We hope practitioners can use this article as a starting point when selecting scientifically validated interventions to teach mathematics to students with ESN. We highlight mathematics interventions from a variety of recent literature reviews of mathematics interventions for students with ASD, ID, or both to provide guidance for practitioners of what we know works for which students under what conditions. This article also seeks to bridge research to practice by offering recommendations for math educators serving students with disabilities in heterogeneous classrooms.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2020 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103744