Developing Math Automatically in Learning Handicapped Children: The Role of Computerized Drill and Practice

Educators generally have agreed that the solution to developing automatic recall of math facts in children is through the use of considerable amounts of drill and practice (Ashcraft , 1985;Gagne , 1983) .Recently , many educators have discovered that one means of delivering large amounts of drill and practice in a motivating and carefully monitored environment is through a computer.Thus , it follows that computers logically would be ideal for developing automaticity in learning handicapped children.Indeed, we have found that computer-based drill and practice can be used to develop automaticity , but only when specific prerequisite conditions are met.If these prerequisite conditions are not met , our research , as well as the research of others (Howell Rieth , 1985), has shown that computer-based drill and practice results in little or no improvement on the part of handicapped students . THE IMPORTANCE OF AUTOMATICITY IN MATHEMATICSMany teachers and parents are content when learning handicapped children can compute answers to basic math facts by using counting strategies (e.g ., fingers and number lines) or electronic calculators.But recent research suggests that these procedures can interfere with learning higher level math skills such as multiple-digit addition and subtraction , long division , and fractions (Resnick, 1983) .Most cognitive scientists today believe that as basic skills become more highly practiced, their execution requires less cognitive processing capacity , or attention , and they become automatic.All people have a limited capacity for information processing.If they do not have to use part of this limited capacity for performing basic skills , they have more capacity remaining for understanding higherorder concepts.Thus , the ability to succeed in higher-order skills appears to be directly related to the efficiency at which lower-order processes are executed.