Fractions are foundational concepts for more advanced mathematics as well as used throughout daily living, for all students, including students with disabilities. This study explored the virtual-abstract (VA) instructional sequence with regard to the acquisition and maintenance of fraction behaviors for three middle school students with mild intellectual disability and/or autism. Through a multiple probe across participants design, students received a minimum of three sessions using the app-based manipulative (i.e., virtual portion of the VA instructional sequence) and a minimum of five sessions using numerical strategies (i.e., abstract portion of the VA instructional sequence). A functional relation was found between the independent variable–the VA instructional sequence—and the dependent variable (i.e., accuracy in finding equivalent fractions or adding fractions with unlike denominators, depending on the student).
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