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Visuospatial processing improvements in students with Down Syndrome through the autonomous use of technologies
Author(s) -
Herrero Laura,
Theirs Cecilia I.,
RuizIniesta Almudena,
González Almudena,
Sanchez Victor,
PérezNieto Miguel A.
Publication year - 2019
Publication title -
british journal of educational technology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.79
H-Index - 95
eISSN - 1467-8535
pISSN - 0007-1013
DOI - 10.1111/bjet.12665
Subject(s) - psychology , cognition , short term memory , working memory , cognitive psychology , neuroscience
Abstract The main purpose of our study was to examine whether autonomous training through the use of technologies could be associated with improvements in selective attention, visuospatial short‐term memory and visuospatial processing in students with Down Syndrome (DS). In addition, our study aimed to analyse how the improvements in selective attention and visuospatial short‐term memory tasks could predict improvements in visuospatial processing. Twenty‐six children and adolescents with DS who belong to specialized schools for ID participated in the study. Three different mobile applications, Bubbles (selective attention), Pairs and Learn (visuospatial short‐term memory) and Tangram (visuospatial processing) developed by Smile and Learn were used during a three‐month period by the students. The results showed significant improvements through training in both, Pairs and Learn and Tangram, whereas there was no significant improvement in Bubbles. The results also showed that Pairs and Learn performance could predict a 36% variance in Tangram one. Cognitive and educational implications of these results are discussed.