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Behavioral Sciences
Volume 15
Issue 3
10.3390/bs15030267
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Article

Using Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs): Preliminary Evidence on Memory and Comprehension Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder

by
Mariagiovanna De Luca
1,†,
Ciro Rosario Ilardi
2,†,
Pasquale Dolce
3,
Angelo Rega
4,
Raffaele Di Fuccio
5,
Franco Rubinacci
6,
Maria Gallucci
4 and
Paola Marangolo
1,*
1
Department of Humanities Studies, University Federico II, Via Porta di Massa 1, 80133 Naples, Italy
2
Interdepartmental Research Centre on Management and Innovation in Healthcare (CIRMIS), University Federico II, Via Pansini 5, 80131 Naples, Italy
3
Dipartimento di Scienze Mediche Translazionali, University Federico II, Corso Umberto I 40, 80138 Naples, Italy
4
Neapolisanit Rehabilitation Centre, Via Funari, 80044 Naples, Italy
5
Department of Psychology and Educational Sciences, Telematic University of Pegaso, Piazza dei Santi Apostoli 49, 00187 Rome, Italy
6
Smarted srl, Riviera di Chiaia, 256, 80121 Naples, Italy
*
Author to whom correspondence should be addressed.
†
These authors contributed equally to this work.
Behav. Sci. 2025, 15(3), 267; https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15030267
Submission received: 20 January 2025 / Revised: 21 February 2025 / Accepted: 24 February 2025 / Published: 25 February 2025
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Neural Correlates of Cognitive and Affective Processing)
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Abstract

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is a complex neurodevelopmental condition involving persistent challenges with social communication, as well as memory and language comprehension difficulties. This study investigated the effects of a storytelling paradigm on language comprehension and memory skills in children with ASD. A traditional approach, using an illustrated book to deliver the narrative, was compared to a novel paradigm based on Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs) combined with multisensory stimulation. A group of 28 children (ages between 6 and 10 years old) was asked to listen to a story over four weeks, two times a week, in two different experimental conditions. The experimental group (n = 14) engaged with the story using TUIs, while the control group (n = 14) interacted with a corresponding illustrated book. Pre- and post-intervention assessments were conducted using NEPSY-II subtests on language comprehension and memory. At the end of the intervention, a trend of improved performance was found. In particular, a greater number of subjects benefited from the intervention in the experimental group compared with the control group in instruction comprehension and narrative memory-cued recall. These preliminary findings suggest that TUIs may enhance learning outcomes for children with ASD, warranting further investigation into their potential benefits.
Keywords: autism spectrum disorder; neurodevelopmental disorders; tangible user interfaces; multisensory integration; storytelling autism spectrum disorder; neurodevelopmental disorders; tangible user interfaces; multisensory integration; storytelling

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MDPI and ACS Style

De Luca, M.; Ilardi, C.R.; Dolce, P.; Rega, A.; Di Fuccio, R.; Rubinacci, F.; Gallucci, M.; Marangolo, P. Using Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs): Preliminary Evidence on Memory and Comprehension Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Behav. Sci. 2025, 15, 267. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15030267

AMA Style

De Luca M, Ilardi CR, Dolce P, Rega A, Di Fuccio R, Rubinacci F, Gallucci M, Marangolo P. Using Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs): Preliminary Evidence on Memory and Comprehension Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Behavioral Sciences. 2025; 15(3):267. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15030267

Chicago/Turabian Style

De Luca, Mariagiovanna, Ciro Rosario Ilardi, Pasquale Dolce, Angelo Rega, Raffaele Di Fuccio, Franco Rubinacci, Maria Gallucci, and Paola Marangolo. 2025. "Using Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs): Preliminary Evidence on Memory and Comprehension Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder" Behavioral Sciences 15, no. 3: 267. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15030267

APA Style

De Luca, M., Ilardi, C. R., Dolce, P., Rega, A., Di Fuccio, R., Rubinacci, F., Gallucci, M., & Marangolo, P. (2025). Using Tangible User Interfaces (TUIs): Preliminary Evidence on Memory and Comprehension Skills in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. Behavioral Sciences, 15(3), 267. https://doi.org/10.3390/bs15030267

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