Trends in instructional technologies used in education of people with special needs due to intellectual disability and autism

Abstract

The purpose of this study is to analyse trends in articles on the use of instructional technologies in the education of individuals with special needs, specifically those with mental disabilities and autism. The research was conducted in accordance with the PRISMA statement, and the studies were analysed through content analysis. Between 2015 and 2023, 452 articles were retrieved from ScienceDirect, Web of Science, SpringerLink, ERIC, Google Scholar, SOBIAD, Taylor & Francis and SCOPUS databases on the use of instructional technologies in the education of students with intellectual disabilities or autism. The analysis included 128 articles that met the research criteria. The research indicates that publications on instructional technologies for individuals diagnosed with intellectual disabilities were mostly published in 2019, 2020 and 2021. Among these technologies, technology-supported learning and augmented reality were found to be the most preferred. These studies focused on the effects of instructional technologies on communication and social skills. They were mostly conducted on students aged 15–25. Publications for individuals diagnosed with autism were mostly published in 2022. These individuals have mostly preferred technology-supported learning, virtual reality and robot-assisted learning as instructional technologies. These studies focused on the effects of instructional technologies on communication and social skills in students aged 5–10.