Association for Behavior Analysis International

In third grade, with the introduction of high-stakes testing, the focus on math word problems becomes prominent. However, intervention research on solving word problems has concentrated on the higher grades. While some of these strategies are valuable, developmental and curricular modifications are needed for third graders. In research where this has been recognized, teacher-mediated explicit instruction with multiple exemplars, teaching students to use visual representations, and the incorporation of self-strategies, have proven effective. However, for these practices to reach their full potential, their content must be relevant and provide for growth to more mature mathematical concepts. Therefore, the focus of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness of a multicomponent word problem-solving intervention that used explicit instruction strategies with multiple exemplars, taught the use of student-generated visual representations, incorporated a self-monitoring checklist, and targeted Common Core State Standards? appropriate curriculum. Using a multiple baseline across behaviors design, the study evaluated the paraphrasing, visualizing, and computing word problem-solving responses of 10 diverse third-graders. The study revealed that all students made gains in some behaviors related to problem solving. Results are discussed in relation to a cognitive-behavioral framework and individual student characteristics.

There is limited research on the acquisition of Maths and numeracy skills for children with Intellectual Disabilities (ID) a special school. We conducted research on the delivery of an adapted Maths Recovery program with three secondary aged children with ID who attended a special school in the UK. The design was a series of single case designs with repeated measures. Over an eleven week period the adapted Maths Recovery programme was delivered by teaching assistants. They had received a short training session on Discrete Trial Teaching and how to follow the teaching manual accompanying the program, but otherwise had no prior knowledge of ABA methodology. Results are discussed with reference to increased numeracy ability in the three children and the practical strategies required to support children with ID so that they may benefit from the program. The adapted Maths Recovery curriculum can successfully be used with children with ID in special school settings and can improve their numeracy skills. Our data show promising results and support the rationale for larger evaluation studies