Autism and mathematics education

International audienceInclusive education urges educational research to deepen its understanding of students with special needs. The aim of this theoretical paper is to provide an overview of the didactical aspects in the field of autism and mathematics education. First we review literature on autism spectrum disorders (ASD) from a broad psychological perspective, and second, we focus on three cognitive theories which are used to explain the behavioral symptoms of ASD. Next, we discuss mathematics specific didactical issues that relate to these cognitive theories. Finally, we elaborate on an example of research on mathematics education for ASD students based on the Van Hiele model of thinking in geometry. In the conclusions we bring together the findings and give suggestions for future research