Design and Use of Interactive Social Stories for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

Oct 15, 2026

The study aimed to design technology-supported interactive social stories to teach social skills to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). A design-based research approach was conducted with children and with input from mothers, teachers, peers, and field experts, using an iterative remediation cycle driven by participant feedback. Data were gathered through researcher notes, interviews, video-recorded observations, and log files. Three remediation cycles improved the materials’ usability and engagement, supporting both target behaviors and useful non-target skills and strengthening learner satisfaction through self-directed choices.

LanguageEnglish

CategoryResearch & Report

FormatPDF

Pages25

Reading Time1 h 3 min

AccessFree to download

Abstract

Introduction

Multimedia Learning and Social Stories

Design and Use of Interactive Social Stories for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Sunagul Sani-Bozkurt, Sezgin Vuran, & Yavuz Akbulut Anadolu University, Turkey Abstract The current study aimed to design technology-supported interactive social stories to teach social skills to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) . A design-based research was implemented with children with ASD along with the participation of their mothers, teachers, peers and field experts. An iterative remediation process was followed through the feedback of participants. The data collection process was further supported through researcher notes, interviews, video-recorded observations and log files. Three cycles of remediation were employed to improve the interactive materials, which lead them to be perceived as pleasant, interesting, engaging and user-friendly. It was observed that children gained useful non-target skills as well as the target behaviors. Interactive stories were particularly helpful in raising satisfaction as they provided children with the opportunity to make their own learning decisions. Keywords: Autism spectrum disorder; Multimedia learning; Interactive social stories; Instructional design for special education; Learners with special needs Introduction Information and communication technologies (ICT) became widespread in several fields in the 21st century including educational settings. It changed paradigms in education, which required revising instructional materials accordingly. Internet and mobile technologies triggered these changes further. Such transformations require new information-based tools and software to be created as well (Kagohara, Sigafoos, Achmadi, O’Reilly, & Lancioni, 2012; Ramdoss et al., 2012) . Recent technological transformations have also been adopted by the special education field. For instance, Herbert (2010) underlines the importance of ICTs and particularly mobile technologies in creating a reform in special education practices. Computers and computer-based systems, virtual reality, multimedia, interactive videos and many other advanced tools can be stated as examples to illustrate ICTs’ potential to create effective learning environments for individuals with special needs. Furthermore, robust theoretical frameworks have been proposed in relevant fields including the multimedia learning approach, which considers individual differences and learning characteristics while developing technology-rich and effective instructional designs. Scholars who are interested in methods to cope with the Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) can also adopt recent technology-rich implementations to ameliorate the instructional atmosphere. In the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, ASD is defined as aneurodevelopmental disorder marked by deficits in the areas of social communication and other cognitive and motor behaviors (American Psychiatric Association, 2012) . The novelty effect stemming from the use of recent technological tools is likely to sustain higher levels of interest among individuals with ASD. In this regard, teaching several social, psychomotor and academic skills can be facilitated through the use of these tools. For instance, spelling, counting, drawing, solving puzzles, recalling pictures and matching objects are frequently used activities among learners with ASD. These activities are easily employed through the help of current technological devices such as mobile phones and tablet PCs. Accordingly, recent work reveal that such devices are quite user-friendly, affordable and sustain higher and more realistic control over the instructional content (Gentry, Lau, Molinelli, Fallen, & Kriner, 2012; Johnson et al., 2013; Shah, 2011) . In addition, they facilitate individualized learning opportunities for the learners with ASD (Chen, 2012) . Interactive social stories are one of the potential areas that can easily be employed through the help of mobile devices.

FAQs

What was the main goal of the study?

The study designed technology-supported interactive social stories to teach social skills to children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

How was the interactive material improved during the research?

An iterative remediation process was used based on participant feedback, and three remediation cycles were applied to refine the materials.

What kinds of outcomes were observed for the children?

Children developed both useful non-target skills and targeted behaviors, and interactive stories increased satisfaction by enabling children to make their own learning decisions.

Oct 15, 2026

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