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Computer-Assisted Instruction to Teach Academic Skills

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Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders

Definition

Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) has been defined as a systematic approach to developing students’ knowledge and/or skills that uses a computer as a central feature to support instruction via activities including, but not limited to, presenting materials, assessing progress, and guiding activities (Anohina 2005). CAI is a subset of technology-aided instruction, and is distinct from online, Internet, or other network learning in that CAI implies the software is local to the computer, not accessed via the Internet.

Historical Background

Technology has transformed everyday life for many people in the twenty-first century. From its infancy in the form of teaching machines (Pressey 1926; Skinner 1958) to the wide forms and platforms that are ever evolving (Stephenson and Limbrick 2015), instructors and researchers have evaluated the usefulness of technology as the central feature of an intervention to increase academic skills. The current application of CAI originates from...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. School of Teacher Education, College of Education, Florida State University, 1114 W. Call street, 32311, Tallahasee, FL, USA

    Jenny R. Root

  2. University of North Carolina Charlotte, Charlotte, NC, USA

    Bradley Stevenson

  3. University of Memphis, Memphis, TN, USA

    Luann Ley Davis

Authors
  1. Jenny R. Root
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  2. Bradley Stevenson
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  3. Luann Ley Davis
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Jenny R. Root .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Yale Child Study Center, New Haven, Connecticut, USA

    Fred R. Volkmar

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Root, J.R., Stevenson, B., Davis, L.L. (2018). Computer-Assisted Instruction to Teach Academic Skills. In: Volkmar, F. (eds) Encyclopedia of Autism Spectrum Disorders. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102212-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-6435-8_102212-1

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  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4614-6435-8

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