The effects of a computer-based video intervention to teach literacy skills to a student with a moderate intellectual disability

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of a computer-based video intervention, using Apple iBooks on an iPad, for teaching literacy skills to a student with moderate intellectual disability. The intervention, which combined rich multimedia features and explicit instruction sought to teach picture vocabulary, sight word recognition, and the definitions of targeted vocabulary. A multiple-probe design across conditions was used to determine the effectiveness of the intervention. Results demonstrated a functional relation between the presentation of the intervention and the number of correct picture vocabulary words learned. Additionally, pre and post measures indicated that the participant was able to generalize picture vocabulary, in addition to acquiring sight words and vocabulary definitions as a result of the multimedia video instruction. Suggestions for future research and implications for practice are provided.