Teaching students with ASD to solve fraction computations using a video modeling instructional package.
A short iPad video plus tiles and a self-checklist moves students with autism from guessing fractions to 80 % correct.
01Research in Context
What this study did
Yakubova et al. (2020) taught three middle-school students with autism to add and subtract fractions. They used iPad videos that showed a teacher solving problems with colored tiles. Each student also got a short checklist to mark off steps as they worked.
The team used a multiple-baseline design. Videos, tiles, and checklists were given only after baseline stayed flat for each student.
What they found
All three students jumped from low accuracy to 80-100 % correct once the package started. Two students kept the skill when given new fraction problems they had never seen.
How this fits with other research
Ledbetter-Cho et al. (2023) ran a close cousin study. They also used teacher-made videos and checklists for math with elementary students with autism. Both papers show positive gains, so the idea travels across age groups.
Martens et al. (1989) did the first test of math checklists alone. Their students with learning disabilities improved without any videos. Gulnoza adds video modeling to that old backbone and shows it still works for students with autism.
Ledbetter-Cho et al. (2018) pooled 36 tablet studies. They found bigger gains when the student, not the teacher, tapped the screen. Gulnoza let students run their own iPads and checklists, matching that key detail.
Why it matters
You can copy this package tomorrow. Record a 2-minute fraction demo on an iPad. Hand the student a simple checklist with steps like 'Find common denominator.' Let them press play, pause, and tick boxes while they work. No extra staff, no fancy software. Middle-schoolers with autism in your class get quick, clear models and stay engaged with the checklist.
Want CEUs on This Topic?
The ABA Clubhouse has 60+ free CEUs — live every Wednesday. Ethics, supervision & clinical topics.
Join Free →Film yourself solving one fraction problem with tiles, load it on the student’s iPad, and give them a three-step checklist to mark while they copy you.
02At a glance
03Original abstract
BACKGROUND: With the surge of intervention research examining ways of supporting students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) in inclusive settings, there remains a need to examine how technology supports could enhance students' learning by offering one size fits one instruction. Furthermore, intervention studies focused on teaching students with ASD how to solve fractions are scarce. AIMS: The purpose of this research study was to examine the effects of providing instruction via video modeling (VM), concrete manipulatives, a self-monitoring checklist, and practice for comprehension check on the accuracy of fraction problem solving of three middle school students with ASD. METHODS AND PROCEDURES: Through the use of single-case multiple probe across students experimental design, we examined whether a functional relation existed between the intervention and students' improved accuracy of solving simple proper fraction problems. OUTCOMES AND RESULTS: All three students improved the accuracy of solving simple proper fraction problems from baseline to intervention sessions and two students generalized the skill to solving whole proper fraction problems. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The intervention consisting of VM and concrete manipulatives along with additional behavioral strategies offers an option for teachers to accommodate diverse learning needs of students with ASD in a variety of settings.
Research in developmental disabilities, 2020 · doi:10.1016/j.ridd.2020.103637