Using Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs): Preliminary Evidence on Memory and Comprehension Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

TL;DR

This study explores how Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) can help children with autism improve memory and comprehension skills through storytelling.

Contribution

The novel use of TUIs with multisensory stimulation is shown to potentially enhance learning outcomes in children with ASD.

Findings

Children using TUIs showed a trend of improved performance in instruction comprehension.

More children in the TUI group benefited in narrative memory-cued recall compared to the book group.

Preliminary evidence suggests TUIs may be more effective for children with ASD than traditional methods.

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition involving persistent challenges with social communication, as well as memory and language comprehension difficulties. This study investigated the effects of a storytelling paradigm on language comprehension and memory skills in children with ASD. A traditional approach, using an illustrated book to deliver the narrative, was compared to a novel paradigm based on Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) combined with multisensory stimulation. A group of 28 children (ages between 6 and 10 years old) was asked to listen to a story over four weeks, two times a week, in two different experimental conditions. The experimental group (n = 14) engaged with the story using TUIs, while the control group (n = 14) interacted with a corresponding illustrated book. Pre- and post-intervention assessments were conducted using NEPSY-II subtests on language comprehension and memory. At the end of the intervention, a trend of improved performance was found. In particular, a greater number of subjects benefited from the intervention in the experimental group compared with the control group in instruction comprehension and narrative memory-cued recall. These preliminary findings suggest that TUIs may enhance learning outcomes for children with ASD, warranting further investigation into their potential benefits.

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