Maths program for autistic children

The interdisciplinary team, from the psychology and computer science departments, is working with children with autism from local schools to help them design a computer-based tutor that will act in a similar way to a personal tutor, but under the control of the student.

The new system will contain details of the student’s strengths and weaknesses and this will guide how the system interacts with the child and presents the material to be learnt.

The project is being led by Dr Mark Brosnan, senior lecturer in the Department of Psychology, who said: ‘An increasing number of studies show computer-aided learning is well-accepted by children with autism that demonstrate a fascination with computers.

‘Children with autism can be good at maths and a small percentage can be exceptionally good at maths, but in mainstream schools they do not always receive the tailored, one-to-one tutoring they need to take account of their skills and capabilities.