TEACCH Methodology-based Web System to Support Learning for Children with Autism

Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is characterized by a shared spectrum of significant damage in the areas of social interaction, routines, and verbal and non-verbal language functions considered essential for learning process and human development. Children with ASD are great visual learners, who understand graphical information sooner and better and show attraction for technological equipment. So, the aim of this article is to show the process of creating a digital learning technology to support children with ASD in their school activities, based on the method of Treatment and Education of Autistic and related Communication-Handicapped Children (TEACCH), distributed in four sections that address problems with emphasis on syllabic sorting with images matching, perception and visual association, visual memory and spatial and sequential organization of routines, with a logical sequence to carry out the activities of daily living (ADLS). To evaluate the web system developed, we applied the revised psychoeducational evaluation scale (PEP-R), involving 7 areas of cognitive development: Imitation, Perception, Fine and Global Motricity, Eye-glass, Cognitive Realization and Verbal Cognition. Five 4-5 years old students of a school of early childhood and elementary education in special education participated of the essay. From an observational mode, we assess the scholars performance in carrying out the proposed activities in TEACCH method. The results were classified as Failure ("I"), Emergent ("E") when carried out with total or partial help, and Success ("S") when achieving the activities independently. Quantitative results indicated a 24%-reduction in the indices measured before as "Failure" in PEP-R. So, we concluded that the developed web system is suitable and effective for the implementation of the TEACCH activities.