Perception of Representation Modalities and Affordances in Tangible Environments by Children with Intellectual Disabilities

Intellectual disabilities cause significant sub-average achievement in learning, which, from a socio-constructionist perspective, can be addressed by using adequate tools. Tangible technologies are considered particularly promising tools to help children with intellectual disabilities, by enabling accessible interaction through physical manipulation, in conjunction with digital representations. However, the field lacks focused studies, as nascent research has to date produced mostly generic results. This article presents empirical studies where children with intellectual disabilities interacted with four tangible systems. Analysis focused on children's perceptions of affordances and representation modalities. Results showed the predominance of physical representations over digital, and the importance of informational feedback to avoid misconceptions from perceived physical affordances. Visual representations were found to be the most easily perceived and understood among digital representations, while the auditory mode proved challenging for perception and comprehension. Six guidelines for tangibles design were derived that take into account the particular needs of children with intellectual disabilities.