Programmed Instruction to teach pointing with a computer mouse in preschoolers with developmental disabilities

Area of Science:

• Developmental Psychology
• Educational Technology
• Human-Computer Interaction

Background:

• Preschoolers with developmental delays often struggle with fine motor skills.
• Computer mouse pointing is a crucial skill for early educational technology engagement.
• Existing methods may not adequately address the specific needs of this population.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of a combined intervention for teaching computer mouse pointing.
• To assess the impact of Programmed Instruction and experimenter prompts on preschoolers' pointing ability.
• To evaluate the improvement in hand-eye coordination for target skill acquisition.

Main Methods:

• Employed Programmed Instruction with three stages: mouse movement, cursor targeting, and clicking.
• Utilized experimenter-provided prompts (physical, verbal, gesturing) to support learning.
• Assessed three preschoolers with below-average chronological age scores before and after the intervention.

Main Results:

• Pre-assessment indicated no participants could point with the mouse.
• All participants successfully learned to point after the intervention.
• The combined approach proved effective in teaching the necessary hand-eye coordination.

Conclusions:

• Programmed Instruction coupled with experimenter prompts is a viable method for teaching mouse pointing to preschoolers.
• This intervention package can significantly enhance fine motor skills and computer interaction abilities.
• The findings support the use of tailored instructional strategies for children with developmental challenges.