Classroom Math Learning Opportunities Provided to Elementary Students With Autism

• In Event: Division K Section 1 Poster Session: Math, Science, and STEM

Abstract

This exploratory study investigated the educational opportunities that students with autism in preschool–3rd grade classrooms experience during mathematics lessons and how these experiences relate to student active engagement, and theoretically, support classroom learning. The project utilized classroom observations to evaluate mathematical tasks with varying levels of cognitive demand and the dynamic relation among teachers’ instructional moves and students’ active engagement. Our findings provide preliminary evidence suggesting that the nature of the mathematical task facilitates different learning opportunities for students with autism as well as highlights tangible instructional features that are linked to student active engagement. The knowledge gained from this project will help improve the educational outcomes of school-age children with autism, an increasingly important issue for education and developmental science.

Authors

• Nicole Sparapani, University of California - Davis

• Nancy Tseng, University of California Davis

• Taffeta Wood, University of California - Irvine

• Laurel Emily Towers, University of California - Davis