A Virtual Number Line Intervention Package to Support Addition and Subtraction for Students With Intellectual Disability

Abstract

Researchers established virtual manipulatives as an evidence-based practice for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). However, much of the existing research for this population targets middle school students with IDD. This study examined a virtual number line paired with teacher modeling and the system of least prompts to support high school students with IDD in acquiring, maintaining, and generalizing addition and subtraction problems. Through a single case research study with three high school students with IDD, the researchers found a functional relation between the intervention package and student accuracy. Students also became more independent but struggled to maintain their skills when prompting was not provided. Further, the students were unable to generalize the skills of addition and subtraction to real-life scenarios targeting time and money. These findings and their implications for the field of IDD are examined.

Keywords

intellectual disability mathematics virtual manipulatives online instruction

Get full access to this article

View all access options for this article.

References

Ayres

K. A.

Lowrey

K. A.

Douglas

K. H.

Sievers

(2011). I can identify saturn but I can’t brush my teeth: What happens when the curricular focus for students with severe disabilities shifts. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 45(1), 11–21.

Bouck

E. C.

Long

H. M.

Park

(2021). Using a virtual number line and corrective feedback to teach addition of integers to middle school students with developmental disabilities. Journal of Physical & Developmental Disabilities, 33(2021), 99–116. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10882-020-09735-z

Bouck

E. C.

Park

(2020). App-based manipulatives and the system of least prompts to support acquistion, maintenance, and generalization of adding integers. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilites, 55(2), 157–172.

Bouck

E. C.

Park

Levy

Cwiakala

Whorley

(2020). App-based manipulatives and explicit instruction to support division with remainders. Exceptionality, 20(1), 44–59. https://doi.org/10.1080/09362835.2019.1586709

Bouck

E. C.

Park

Shurr

BassetteWhorley

L.A.

(2018). Using the virtual-representational-abstract approach to support students with intellectual disability in math. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental. Disabilities, 33(4), 237–248. https:doi.org/10.1177/1088357618755696

Bouck

E. C.

Park

Stenzel

(2020). Virtual manipulatives as assistive technology to support students with disabiliteis in mathematics. Preventing School Failure. Alternative Education for Children and Youth, 64(4), 281–289. https://doi.org/10.1080/1045988X.2020.1762157

Bouck

E. C.

Satsangi

Park

(2018). The concrete-representational-abstract approach for students with disabilities: An evidence-based practice synthesis. Remedial and Special Education, 39(4), 211–228. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932517721712

Bouck

E. C.

Working

Bone

(2018). Manipulative apps to support students with disabilities in mathematics. Intervention in School and Clinic, 53(3), 177–182. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053451217702115

Bowman

J. A.

McDonnell

Ryan

J. H.

Fudge-Coleman

(2019). Effective mathematics instruction for students with moderate and severe disabilities: A review of the literature. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 34(4), 195–204. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088357619827932

10.

Brock

(2021). A tiered approach for training paraeducators to use evidence-based practices for students with significant disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 54(3), 224–233. https://doi.org/10.1177/00400599211006745

11.

Carbonneau

K. J.

Marley

S. C.

Selig

J. P.

(2013). A meta-analysis of the efficacy of teaching mathematics with concrete manipulatives. Journal of Educational Psychology, 105(2), 380–400. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0031084

12.

Cihak

D. F.

Foust

J. L.

(2008). Comparing number lines and touch points to teach addition facts to students with autism. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 23(3), 131–137. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088357608318950

13.

Clausen

A. M.

Tapp

M. C.

Pennington

R. C.

Spooner

Teasdell

(2021). A systematic review of modified schema-based instruction for teaching students with moderate and severe disabilities to solve mathematical word problems. Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 46(2), 94–107. https://doi.org/10.1177/15407969211007561

14.

Collins

B. C.

Hager

K. D.

Galloway

C. C.

(2011). The addition of functional content during core content instruction with students with moderate disabilities. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 46, 22–39.

15.

Collins

B. C.

Karl

Riggs

Galloway

C. C.

Hager

K. D.

(2010). Teaching core content with real-life applications to secondary students with moderate and severe disabilities. Teaching Exceptional Children, 43(1), 52–59.

16.

Connolly

A. J.

(2007). KeyMath-3 diagnostic assessment. Pearson.

17.

Cook

B. G.

Buysse

Klingner

Landrum

T. J.

McWilliam

R. A.

Tankersley

Test

D. W.

(2014). CEC’s standards for classifying the evidence base of practices in special education. Remedial and Special Education, 36(4), 220–234. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932514557271

18.

Gersten

R. M.

Chard

D. J.

Jayanthi

Baker

S. K.

Morphy

Flojo

(2009). Mathematics instruction for students with learning disabilities: A meta-analysis of instructional components. Review of Educational Research, 79(3), 1202–1242. https://doi.org/10.3102/0034654309334431

19.

Goya

Ulloa

P. R.

Wells

J. C.

(2019). A review of interventions for teaching mathematics to secondary students with intellectual disabilities. DADD Online Journal, 6(1), 6–21.

20.

Horner

R. H.

Carr

E. G.

Halle

McGee

Odom

Wolery

(2005). The use of single-subject research to identify evidence-based practice in special education. Exceptional Children, 71(2), 165–179. https://doi.org/10.1177/001440290507100203

21.

Hudson

M. E.

Rivera

C. J.

Grady

M. M.

(2018). Research on mathematics instruction with students with significant cognitive disabilities: Has anything changed? Research and Practice for Persons with Severe Disabilities, 43(1), 38–53. https://doi.org/10.1177/1540796918576601

22.

Jimenez

B. A.

Besaw

(2020). Building early numeracy through virtual manipulatives for students with intellectual disability and autism. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 55(1), 28–44.

23.

Ledford

Gast

(2018). Single case research methodology. Routledge.

24.

Long

Bouck

E. C.

Jakubow

(in press). Teaching Subtraction to Students with Autism Online via the VRA Instructional Sequence. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities.

25.

Long

H. M.

Bouck

E. C.

Kelly

(2022). An evidence-based practice synthesis of virtual manipulatives for students with asd and idd. Focus on autism and developmental disabilities. [Advanced Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/108835762211216

26.

Lovaas

O. I.

(2003). Teaching individuals with developmental delays: Basic intervention techniques. Pro-Ed.

27.

McDonnell

Jameson

J. M.

Bowman

J. A.

Coleman

Ryan

Eichelberger

Conradi

(2020). Assessing generalization in single-case research studies teaching core academic content to students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 35(3), 143–152. https://doi.org/10.1177/1088357620902500

28.

Park

Bouck

E. C.

Fisher

(2021). Using the virtual-representational-abstract instructional sequence with overlearning to students with disabilities in mathematics. Journal of Special Education, 54(4), 228–238. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022466920912527

29.

Park

Bouck

E. C.

Smith

J. P.

(2020). Using a virtual manipulative intervention package to support maintenance in teaching subtraction with regrouping to students with developmental disabilities. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 50(1), 63–75. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-019-04225-4

30.

Peltier

Morin

K. L.

Bouck

E. C.

Lingo

M. E.

Pulos

J. M.

Scheffler

F. A.

Suk

Mathews

L. A.

Sinclair

T. E.

Deardorff

M. E.

(2020). A meta-analysis of single-case research using mathematics manipulatives with students at risk or identified with a disability. The Journal of Special Education, 54(1), 3–15. https://doi.org/10.1177/0022466919844516

31.

Root

J. R.

Browder

D. M.

Saunders

A. F.

Y-y.

(2017). Schema-based instruction with concrete and virtual manipulatives to teach problem solving to students with autism. Remedial and Special Education, 38(1), 42–52. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932516643592

32.

Root

J. R.

Cox

S. K.

Hammons

Saunders

A. F.

Gilley

(2018). Contextualizing mathematics: Teaching problem solving to secondary students with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities, 56(6), 442–457. https://doi.org/10.1352/1934-9556-56.6.442

33.

Shurr

Jimenez

Bouck

E. C.

(2019). Research-based practices and instructional information for students with autism and intellectual disability. Council for Exceptional Children.

34.

Spooner

Root

Saunders

A. F.

Browder

D. M.

(2019). An updated evidence-based practice review on teaching mathematics to students with moderate and severe developmental disabilities. Remedial and Special Education, 40(3), 150–165. https://doi.org/10.1177/0741932517751055

35.

Vannest

K. J.

Parker

R. I.

Gonen

Adiguzel

(2016). Single case research: Web-based calculator for SCR analysis. Texas A&M University. [Web-based application] www.singlecaseresearch.org

36.

White

O. R.

Haring

N. G.

(1980). Exceptional teaching (2nd ed.).

37.

Woods

D. M.

Ketterlin Geller

Basaraba

(2018). Number sense on the number line. Intervention in School and Clinic, 53(4), 229–236. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053451217712971

38.

Yakubova

Defayette

M. A.

Chen

B. B.

(2022). Mathematics learning through online video-based instruction for an autistic child. Journal of autism and developmental disorders. Advanced Online Publication. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05525-y