SIGUEME: Technology-based intervention for low-functioning autism to train skills to work with visual signifiers and concepts.
BACKGROUND
People with low-functioning ASD and other disabilities often find it difficult to understand the symbols traditionally used in educational materials during the learning process. Technology-based interventions are becoming increasingly common, helping children with cognitive disabilities to perform academic tasks and improve their abilities and knowledge. Such children often find it difficult to perform certain tasks contained in educational materials since they lack necessary skills such as abstract reasoning. In order to help these children, the authors designed and created SIGUEME to train attention and the perceptual and visual cognitive skills required to work with and understand graphic materials and objects.


METHODS
A pre-test/post-test design was implemented to test SIGUEME. Seventy-four children with low-functioning ASD (age=13.47, SD=8.74) were trained with SIGUEME over twenty-five sessions and compared with twenty-eight children (age=12.61, SD=2.85) who had not received any intervention.


RESULTS
There was a statistically significant improvement in the experimental group in Attention (W=-5.497, p<0.001). There was also a significant change in Association and Categorization (W=2.721, p=0.007) and Interaction (W=-3.287, p=0.001).


CONCLUSIONS
SIGUEME is an effective tool for improving attention, categorization and interaction in low-functioning children with ASD. It is also a useful and powerful instrument for teachers, parents and educators by increasing the child's motivation and autonomy.
Mind, Brain, and Behaviour Research Centre (CIMCYC), University of Granada, Spain.
María
M
Vélez-Coto
Research Centre for Information and Communications Technologies of the University of Granada, Spain. Electronic address: mjfortiz@ugr.es.
María José
MJ
Rodríguez-Fórtiz
Research Centre for Information and Communications Technologies of the University of Granada, Spain.
María Luisa
ML
Rodriguez-Almendros
Research Centre for Information and Communications Technologies of the University of Granada, Spain.
Marcelino
M
Cabrera-Cuevas
Research Centre for Information and Communications Technologies of the University of Granada, Spain.
Carlos
C
Rodríguez-Domínguez
Everyware Technologies.
Tomás
T
Ruiz-López
Special Education School Fundación Purísima Concepción, Granada, Spain.
Ángeles
Á
Burgos-Pulido
Special Education School Fundación Purísima Concepción, Granada, Spain.
Inmaculada
I
Garrido-Jiménez
Director Centro Deletrea, Madrid, Spain.
Juan
J
Martos-Pérez
D000293:Adolescent; D001288:Attention; D000067877:Autism Spectrum Disorder / Q000523:psychology / Q000534:rehabilitation; D002648:Child; D003071:Cognition; D003194:Computer-Assisted Instruction; D004495:Education of Persons with Intellectual Disabilities / Q000379:methods*; D018961:Educational Technology / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008422:Materials Testing; D009042:Motivation; D011340:Problem Solving; D013030:Spain; D013664:Teaching Materials; D055815:Young Adult
Autistic spectrum disorder; Cognitive skills; Computer-assisted instruction; Intellectual disabilities; Low-functioning autism; Technology-based intervention