Abstract

The study investigated the adequacy of the Touch Math (TM) technique in teaching subtraction skills to students with autism and students with intellectual disabilities (ID). A single-subject research design that utilizes multiple baselines with probes across participants was used. The participants were ten male and female students aged 7 to 12 years, five students with autism, and the other five with ID, currently studying in a private elementary school in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates (UAE). All the participants were baselined for math accomplishment in subtraction, and a stable baseline was determined before TM interventions. The results showed that the participants displayed more interest in doing mathematical problems and gained confidence. The TM technique significantly increases participants’ results, with 50 percent of the participants gaining 100 percent test scores and maintaining these scores till the thirtieth day of maintenance session. Hence, this study concludes that the TM technique effectively teaches subtraction skills to students with special needs, as all the participants showed significantly higher scores at the end of the study. A small sample size, the absence of a control group, and limited generalizability are some of the study’s limitations that point to the need for more research on the efficacy and suitability of the TM method for children with special educational needs.