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CompuThera's history of development is mostly empirical and pragmatic as it has been characterized by a continual search for "what works" in the process of helping a particular child to develop cognitive skills, vocabulary acquisition, and reading skills.

In this process, particular attention was given in implementing methods that have been validated by scientific research. As such the theoretical foundation of the CompuThera program is threefold:

  1. It is implemented as a multimedia computer-aided intervention (CAI).
  2. It follows the principles of discrete trial training (DTT), based on applied behavior analysis (ABA).
  3. Its framework follows Gagné's principles of instructional design applied to a seven steps program to reading.

This research included several landmark studies showing that about 50% of children with Autism who were treated with the ABA approach before the age of four had significant increases in IQ, verbal ability, and/or social functioning. Though the approach may continue to fuel a heated discussion among professionals and caregivers, the documented outcomes cannot be disputed.

Theoretical support for CompuThera's curriculum.

Theoretical support for the use of computer instruction for children with Autism.

Since the early 1980s, computer assisted instruction (CAI) has been systematically used in special education. A number of studies have shown that children with Autism are more attentive and motivated, are less resistant to learning, and exhibit a reduction of nonproductive learning behaviors when exposed to computer-based instruction rather than staff-delivered behavioral programs (Bernard-Opitz, Ross, & Tuttas, 1990; Chen & Bernard-Opitz, 1993; Moore & Calvert, 2000). Other studies, such as Heimann, Nelson, and Gillberg (1995) and Williams, Wright, Callaghan, and Couchlan (2002), have gone a step further and found that for children with Autism, expressive language, word reading, and phonological awareness skills can be increased through CAI. The use of CAI as a viable mode for teaching children with Autism is well documented, however, several areas, including the saliency and effectiveness of reinforcers, still warrant further exploration in the development of CAI programs for children with Autism (Russo, Koegel, & Lovaas, 1978).

Theoretical support for the use of ABA with students with Autism.

ABA is the only method considered empirically validated for use in treating Autism. ABA therapy is especially useful in teaching behaviors to children with Autism, who may not otherwise pick up these behaviors spontaneously, through imitation or from the environment. Their learning requires a very structured environment, one in which conditions are optimized for acquiring the same skills that typical children learn "naturally." ABA teaches these skills through use of careful behavioral observation and positive reinforcement. Despite the lack of uniform agreement among all the stakeholders working with individuals with Autism, the empirical evidence reporting it to be the most effective evidence-based approach demonstrated thus-far is undeniable (McEachin, Smith, & Lovaas, 1993; Simpson, 1999; Sparkman, Howard, & Cohen, 2006).

In a 1999 publication, the U.S. Surgeon General stated that thirty years of research on the ABA approach has shown very positive outcomes when it is used as an early-intervention tool for Autism.

The design of CompuThera not only follows the principles of ABA (for example, chaining, prompting, fading, and shaping) but is also developed on the tenets of Gagné's (1970) instructional design. In Gagné's theory, a specified list of building blocks is called a learning hierarchy. To teach a specific skill, a teacher must first identify its prerequisite skills and make sure that the student possesses them. Gagné's events of instruction involve nine steps. The types of learning that Gagné's instructional design is intended to stimulate include: intellectual skills (concepts, rules, problem solving); cognitive strategies; verbal information; motor skills; and attitudes (Gagné, 1985; Gagné, Briggs, & Wagner, 1988). The CompuThera intervention is built on the premise that lower skills are the foundation of the development of higher-level ones. To teach a specific skill, the program identifies its prerequisite skills and makes sure that the student possesses them prior to moving on to more difficult ones. For example, a child would never be asked to express or label a picture that he or she had not mastered receptively first.

Bibliography

Chen, S.H. & Bernard-Opitz, V. (1993). Comparison of personal and computer-assisted instruction for children with autism. Mental Retardation, 31(6), 368-376.

Gagné, R. 1985. The Conditions of Learning (4th ed.) New York: Rinehart and Winston

Gagné, R., Briggs, L. & Wagner W. 1988. Principles of Instructional Design, New York: Rinehart and Winston.

Heimann, N., Nelson, K.E., & Gillberg, C. (1995). Increasing reading and communication skills in children with autism through an interactive multimedia computer program. Journal of Autism and Other Developmental Disorders, 25(5), 459-480.

McEachin, J.H., Smith, T., & Lovaas, O.I. (1993). Long-term outcome for children with autism who received early intensive behavioral treatment, American Journal on Mental Retardation, 97(4), 359-372.

Moore, M. & Calvert, S. (2000). Brief report: Vocabulary acquisition for children with autism: teacher or computer instruction. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30(4), 359-362.

Russo, D.C., Koegel, R. L., & Lovaas, O.I. (1978). A comparison of human and automated instruction of autistic children. Journal of Abnormal Psychology, 6(2), 189-201.

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Simpson, R. (1999). Early intervention with children with autism: The search for best practices. Journal of the Association for Persons with Severe Handicaps, 24(3), 218-221.

Bernard-Opitz, V., Ross, K., & Tuttas, M.L. (1990). Computer assisted instruction for autistic children. Ann Academic Medicine Singapore, 19(5), 611-618.

Williams, C., Wright, B., Callaghan, G., & Coughlan, B. (2002). Do children with autism learn to read more readily by computer assisted instruction or traditional book methods? A pilot study. Autism, 6(1), 71-91.

U.S.Department of Health and Human Services. 1999. "Mental Health: A Report of the Surgeon General - Executive Summary." U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, Center for Mental Health Services, National Institutes of Health, National Institute of Mental Health. Rockville, MD.

Lynn Kern Koegel, Robert L. Koegel and Annette Smith, 1995 -- Teaching Children with Autism. Strategies for Initiating Positive Interactions and Improving Learning Opportunities - ISBN 1-55766-180-4

Boris Galitsky -- A simulation tool for training autistic reasoning about mental attitudes. 2007 - School of Computer science and Information Systems Birkbeck College, University of London.

Lai-Ping Poon, A Waller. 2006 - Emotion Expressor: Communication system for children with ASD to explore their feelings and express their opinions

R Stromer, J W Kimball, E M Kinney, B A Taylor. 2006 - Activity Schedules, Computer Technology, and Teaching Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders.

P Canton, A L Gonzalez, G Mariscal, C Ruiz. 2006 - Developing Pedagogical Multimedia Resources Targeting Children with Special Educational Needs.

K W Smith, M E McDonald. 2005 - Teaching Individuals with Severe Learning Deficiencies.

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A Bosseler, D W Massaro. 2003 - Development and Evaluation of a Computer-Animated Tutor for Vocabulary and Language Learning in Children with Autism.

Increasing reading and communication skills in children with autism through an interactive multimedia computer program -- Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders (Volume 25, Number 5 / October, 1995)

C. E. Rouse, A. B. Krueger, L. Markman, 2004 - Putting Computerized Instruction to the Test: A Randomized Evaluation of a "Scientifically-based" Reading Program.

Ernsperger, L. (2002) Keys to Teaching Students with Autism: An Easy to Follow Guide for Teachers Texas: Future Horizons

Goldstein, H. (2002). Communication Intervention for children with autism: a review of treatment efficacy. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 32, 373-396.

Goldstein, H., Kaczmarek, L. A., & English, K. M., (2002). Promoting Social Communication: Children with Developmental Disabilities. Baltimore, MD: Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company.

Koegel, L.K., (2000). Interventions to Facilitate Communication in Autism. Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 30, 373-396.

Koegel, R.L. & Koegel, L.K. (2000). Teaching Children with Autism. Baltimore, MD Paul H. Brookes Publishing Company
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