Mathematics education for students with Autism Spectrum Disorder: Where are we now?

Individuals diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), the fastest growing disability group, exhibit varying degrees of intellectual ability. Students with ASD are increasingly held accountable to academic standards comparable to their peers. Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) is widely considered best practice for supporting these students. Twenty-six single-case design (SCD) mathematics classroom teaching interventions, conducted with students diagnosed with ASD, were systematically located and reviewed in detail. Most interventions were conducted in special education mathematics classrooms involving low ability students. Interventions typically targeted simple mathematics skills, and a paucity of research addressing more complex mathematical skills was noted. Elsewhere in the literature, teachers who have students with ASD in their classrooms reported having received no autism training, and described subsequent stress and potential to burn-out as a result. A need for future research with high ability mathematics students is observed, and the relevance of a values paradigm approach is proposed