Comparison of Task Performance by Students with Autism and Moderate Intellectual Disabilities When Presenting Video Models on Large and Small Screen Sizes

Abstract

This investigation compared the ability of students with disabilities to complete fine motor tasks when presented with video models on a small personal digital assistant (PDA) screen and a traditional computer laptop screen. Two groups of elementary age students participated in the study: four with moderate intellectual disabilities (Moderate ID), and four with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). An adapted alternating treatments design with extended baseline, comparison, and final treatment condition was used to compare performance across the two screen sizes. Overall results suggest that students with ASD may perform equally as well, regardless of screen size, while some students with Moderate ID may need a larger screen size in order to perform fine motor tasks using video models. Results further indicate that individual differences occurred across some of the students (two of the four students with Moderate ID performed better when using the smaller screen) and that task requirements may have influenced performance (more errors occurred with tasks that may have presented greater cognitive challenges to students).