Design and Use of Interactive Social Stories for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Year 2017, Volume: 8 Issue: 1, 1 - 25, 15.01.2017

Sunagul Sani-bozkurt , Sezgin Vuran Yavuz Akbulut

Abstract

The current study aimed to design technology-supported interactive social stories to teach
social skills to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A design-based research was
implemented with children with ASD along with the participation of their mothers, teachers,
peers and field experts. An iterative remediation process was followed through the
feedback of participants. The data collection process was further supported through
researcher notes, interviews, video-recorded observations and log files. Three cycles of
remediation were employed to improve the interactive materials, which lead them to be
perceived as pleasant, interesting, engaging and user-friendly. It was observed that children
gained useful non-target skills as well as the target behaviors. Interactive stories were
particularly helpful in raising satisfaction as they provided children with the opportunity to
make their own learning decisions.

Keywords

autism spectrum disorder, multimedia learning, interactive social stories, instructional design for special education, learners with special needs

References

• Akbulut, Y. (2010). A structural model proposal for Turkish faculties of education regarding ICT integration indicators. Contemporary Educational Technology, 1(4), 322-334.
• Akbulut, Y., Odabasi, H.F., & Kuzu, A. (2011). Perceptions of preservice teachers regarding the integration of information and communication technologies in Turkish education faculties. Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology (TOJET), 10(3), 175-184.
• American Psychiatric Association. (2012). DSM-5 Proposed criteria for autism spectrum disorder designed to provide more accurate diagnosis and treatment. Retrieved October 11, 2016 from http://www.dsm5.org/Documents/12- 03%20Autism%20Spectrum%20Disorders%20-%20DSM5.pdf
• Bannan-Ritland, B. (2003). The role of design in research: The integrative learning design framework. Educational Researcher, 32(1), 21-24.
• Barab, S. (2006). Design-based research: A methodological toolkit for the learning scientist. R. K. Sawyer (Ed.), The Cambridge handbook of the learning sciences (pp. 151-170). Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press.
• Barab, S. & Squire, K. (2004). Design-based research: Putting a stake in the ground. The Journal of the Learning Sciences, 13(1), 1-14.
• Brown, A. L. (1992). Design experiments: Theoretical and methodological challenges in creating complex interventions. Journal of the Learning Sciences, 2(2), 141-178.
• Brownell, M. D. (2002). Musically adapted social stories to modify behaviors in students in autism: Four case studies. Journal of Music Therapy, 39(2), 117-144.
• Chen, W. (2012). Multitouch tabletop technology for people with autism spectrum disorder: A review of the literature. Procedia Computer Science, 14, 198-207.
• Collins, A. (1992). Towards a design science of education. In E. Scanlon & T. O'Shea (Eds.), New directions in educational technology (pp. 15-22). Berlin: Springer-Verlag.
• Design-Based Research Collective. (2003). Design-based research: An emerging paradigm for educational inquiry. Educational Researcher, 32(1), 5-8.
• Garzotto, F., Paolini, P., & Sabiescu, A. (2010). Interactive storytelling for children. In Proceedings of the 9th International Conference on Interaction Design and Children (pp. 356-359). ACM.
• Gentry, T., Lau, S., Molinelli, A., Fallen, A., & Kriner, R. (2012). The Apple iPod Touch as a vocational support aid for adults with autism: Three case studies. Journal of Vocational Rehabilitation, 37(2), 75-85.
• Goodman-Scott, E. & Carlisle, R. (2014). School counselors' roles in creating and ımplementing social stories to serve students with autism spectrum disorder. Professional School Counseling, 18(1), 158-168.
• Gray, C. A. (2010). The new social stories book. Arlington, TX: Future Horizons.
• Gray, C. A. & Garand, J. D. (1993). Social stories: Improving responses of students with autism with accurate social information. Focus on Autistic Behavior, 8, 1-10.
• Hagiwara, T. & Myles, B. S. (1999). A multimedia social story intervention: Teaching skills to children with autism. Focus an Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 14(2), 82- 95.
• Herbert, M. (2010). Finding new solutions for ELL assessments. Retrieved December 10, 2013 from http://www.districtadministration.com/article/finding-new-solutions-ellassessments Hoadley, C. M. (2005). Design based research methods and theory building: A case study of research with SpeakEasy. Educational Technology, 45(1), 42-47.
• Houghton, H. A. & Willows, D. M. (1987). The psychology of illustration: Vol. 2, Instructional issues. New York: Springer-Verlag.
• Johnson, L., Adams Becker, S., Cummins, M., Estrada, V., Freeman, A., & Ludgate, H. (2013). Technology outlook for community, technical, and junior colleges 2013-2018: An NMC horizon project sector analysis. Austin, Texas: The New Media Consortium. Retrieved on 10 December 2013 from: http://www.nmc.org/pdf/2013-technology-outlookcommunity-colleges.pdf.
• Kagohara, D. M., Sigafoos, J., Achmadi, D., O’Reilly, M. F., & Lancioni, G. (2012). Teaching children with autism spectrum disorders to check the spelling of words. Research in Autism Spectrum Disorders, 6, 304-310.
• Kalyuga, S., Ayres, P., Chandler, P., & Sweller, J. (2003). Expertise reversal effect. Educational Psychologist, 38(1), 23-31.
• Karkhaneh, M., Clark, B., Ospina, M. B., Seida, J. C., Smith, V., & Hartling, L. (2010). Social Stories to improve social skills in children with autism spectrum disorder: A systematic review. Autism, 14(6) 641-662.
• Lundby, K. (2008). Digital storytelling, mediatized stories: Self-representations in new media (Vol. 52). New York: Peter Lang Publishing.
• Mandl, H. & Levin, J. R. (Eds.). (1989). Knowledge acquisition from text and pictures. Amsterdam: Elsevier.
• Mayer, R. E. (1997). Multimedia learning: Are we asking the right questions? Educational Psychologist, 32(1), 1-19.
• Mayer, R. E. (2005). Introduction to Multimedia Learning. In R. E. Mayer (ed.), The Cambridge Handbook of Multimedia Learning (pp. 1–16). New York: Cambridge University Press.
• Mayer, R. E. & Moreno, R. (1998). A split-attention effect in multimedia learning: Evidence for dual processing systems in working memory. Journal of Educational Psychology, 90(2), 312-320.
• Mayer, R. E. & Sims, V. K. (1994). For whom is a picture worth a thousand words? Extensions of a dual-coding theory of multimedia learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 86(3), 389-460.
• Miller, G. A. (1956). The magical number seven, plus or minus two: Some limits on our capacity for processing information. Psychological Review, 63(2), 81.
• More, C. (2008). Digital stories targeting social skills for children with disabilities multidimensional learning. Intervention in School and Clinic, 43(3), 168-177.
• Moreno, R. & Mayer, R. E. (1999). Cognitive principles of multimedia design: The role of modality and contiguity. Journal of Educational Psychology, 91(2), 358-368.
• Mukti, N. A. & Hwa, S. P. (2004). Malaysian Perspective: Designing interactive multimedia learning environment for moral values education. Educational Technology & Society, 7(4), 143-152.
• National Autism Center (NAC). (2015). National standards report 2. Randolph, Massachusetts: National Autism Center.
• Ozdemir, S. (2008). Using multimedia social stories to increase appropriate social engagement in young children with autism. The Turkish Online Journal of Educational Technology, 7(3), 80-88.
• Paivio, A. (1990). Mental representations: A dual coding approach. Oxford: Oxford University Press.
• Ramdoss, S., Lang, R., Fragale, C., Britt, C., O’Reilly, M., Sigafoos, J. et al. (2012). Use of computer-based interventions to promote daily living skills in individuals with intellectual disabilities: A systematic review. Journal of Developmental and Physical Disabilities, 24(2), 197-215.
• Rao, S. M. & Gagie, B. (2006). Learning through seeing and doing: Visual supports for children with autism. Teaching Exceptional Children, 38(6), 26-33.
• Reeves, T. C. (2000). Socially responsible educational research. Educational Technology, 40(6), 19-28.
• Richter, S. & Test, D. (2011). Effects of multimedia social stories on knowledge of adult outcomes and opportunities among transition-aged youth with significant cognitive disabilities. Education and Training in Autism and Developmental Disabilities, 46(3), 410- 424.
• Sani-Bozkurt, S. (2016). Design and effectiveness of technology enhanced interactive media in teaching social skills for children with autism spectrum disorder (Unpublished doctoral dissertation). Eskisehir, Turkey: Anadolu University Graduate School of Educational Sciences.
• Sansosti, F. & Powell-Smith, K. A. (2008). Using computer-presented social stories and video models to increase the social communication skills of children with high functioning autism spectrum disorders. Journal of Positive Behavior Interventions, 10(3), 162-178.
• Schnotz, W. (1993). Introduction to special issue on comprehension of graphics in texts. Learning and Instruction, 3, 151-155.
• Schwartz, D. L., Lin, X., Brophy, S., & Bransford, J. D. (1999). Toward the development of flexibility adaptive instructional designs. In C. M. Reigeluth (Ed.), Instructional-design theories and models, Vol. II, (pp. 183-213). Mahwah, NJ: Lawrence Erlbaum.
• Shah, N. (2011). Special education pupils find learning tool in iPad applications. Education Week. Retrieved on 10 December 2013 from: http://www.edweek.org/dd/articles/ 2011/10/19/01speced.h05.html.
• Shavelson, R. J., Phillips, D. C., Towne, L., & Feuer, M. J. (2003). On the science of education design studies. Educational Researcher, 32(1), 25-28.
• Shukla-Mehta, S., Miller, T., & Callahan, K. J. (2010). Evaluating the effectiveness of video instruction on social and communication skills training for children with autism spectrum disorders: A review of the literature. Focus on Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities, 25(1), 23-36.
• Sweller, J. (1988). Cognitive load during problem solving: Effects on learning. Cognitive Science, 12(2), 257-285.
• Sweller, J. (2008). Human cognitive architecture. In J. M. Spector, M. D. Merrill, J. J. G. Van Merriënboer & M. P. Driscoll (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Educational Communications and Technology (3rd edition) (pp. 369 - 381). Hillsdale, NJ: Erlbaum.
• Wang, F. & Hannafin, M. J. (2005). Design-based research and technology-enhanced learning environments. Educational Technology Research and Development, 53(4), 5-23.
• Wheeler, K. L. (2005). The power of social stories: A strategy for students with autism spectrum disorder (Unpublished master’s thesis). Fullerton, CA: California State University.
• van den Akker, J. (1999). Principles and methods of development research. In J. van den Akker, N. Nieveen, R. M. Branch, K. L. Gustafson & T. Plomp (Eds.), Design methodology and developmental research in education and training (pp. 1-14). The Netherlands: Kluwer Academic Publishers.