It is well documented that children with developmental disabilities have difficulty learning numerical concepts. The purpose of this study is to develop a Discrete Trial Training (DTT)-based App program for improving numerical concepts among children with developmental disabilities; and examine the effectiveness of the DTT-based App in a sample of those children.
To date, there is a paucity of research examining the effectiveness of DTT-based App programs for improving numerical concepts among children with developmental disabilities. In order to achieve the purpose of this study, a DTT app-based program, and its teaching procedures and strategies are developed.
An experimental research design was employed to test the effectiveness. Results from qualitative data revealed that 1) the DTT app-based program was effective in improving children’s ability to conceptualize numbers ‘one’ through ‘nine’; and 2) teaching procedures and strategies of the DTT app-based program were effective in helping children formulate numerical concepts. Conclusively, this exploratory study uniquely developed a DTT App-based program, and its appropriate teaching procedures and strategies, and tested the effectiveness in a sample of children with developmental disabilities.
This study is important because it is a first step towards developing more effective and systematic DTT App-based programs, and their teaching procedures and strategies for children with developmental disabilities. Implications for practice, future DTT App development, and future research will be discussed.
