Global Journal of Human Social Science, G: Linguistics and Education, Volume 23 Issue 8

Coding Activities for Children with Autism: A Sample Application Fatih Aydoğdu α & Figen Gürsoy σ Abstract- Purpose: The research was conducted to test the effects of coding activities on the development of children with autism. Method: Five children aged 6-8 who received education from a special education application center in Erzincan city center participated in the research. In the study, coding activities consisting of four sessions, two sessions a week, were made for two weeks. Coding activities consist of shadow finding, mate finding, pattern creation and completion activities. Dunn Sensory Profile for mothers in order to determine the effect of coding activities; Interview Form and Questionnaire for teachers; Concept Evaluation Form was applied to children. Results: As a result of the research, it was determined that coding activities increased the multi-sensory processing, attention, visual perception, interest and acting in accordance with instructions, motor, hand-eye coordination, imitation ability, interest, fun, memory retention, eye contact, and conceptual skills of children with autism. In addition, it was determined that children with autism increased their ability to match and complete objects, find the shadow of objects and create patterns in relation to the application. Discussion and Recommodation: In line with the results, it is recommended that coding activities be integrated into the educational environments of children with autism. Keywords: coding, autism, child, skill. I. I ntroduction he proliferation of technological tools and programming environments provides the opportunity for creative coding activities for children and increases the need for appropriate teaching practices (Papavlasopoulou, Sharma, & Giannakos, 2020). Due to rapid changes in technology, children are increasingly exposed to these systems. This naturally makes children wonder about how objects work or move automatically (Lee and Junoh, 2019). As a result of the opportunities offered by new technological tools and programming environments, coding practices have enabled the design of effective learning experiences (Papavlasopoulou, Giannakos, & Jaccheri, 2019). Coding is a relatively new form of literacy but has become an essential tool for reading, interpreting data and communicating with others in a digital society (Bers, 2018a). Studies on coding activities have increased in recent years and its effect on many skills has been proven. By participating in coding activities, children learn critical thinking, higher-order thinking, problem solving (Çakır et al., 2021), creative thinking (Çakır et al., 2021), numerical thinking (Tonbuloğlu & Tonbuloğlu, 2019), executive function (Arfé, Vardanega and Ronconi, 2020), scientific process (Turan & Aydoğdu, 2020), algorithmic thinking (Shim & Kwon, 2019), design (Tuomi et al., 2018), logical thinking (Bocconi et al., 2016) and collaboration (also Oliveira et al., 2018) can improve their skills. Constructivist theory clarifies how coding activities can support so many skills. There are strong opinions for children who are supported by a constructivist approach to learn to code (Kafai & Burke, 2015). Constructivism assumes that when children are deeply and actively involved in constructing their own meaningful structures, their interactions with others are strengthened, they structure the learning process themselves, and thus knowledge is gained better (Papavlasopoulou, Giannakos, & Jaccheri, 2019). Coding-based practices are important for the development of children with normal development, as well as supporting the development of children with special needs (Cannon et al., 2011; Hwang and Taylor, 2016; Israel, Maynard, and Williamson, 2013; Meyen and Greer, 2010; Pennington et al., 2014; Taylor, Vasquez & Donehower, 2017; Taylor, 2018; Van Staden, 2013; Waters & Boon, 2011). Among disability types, students with ASD are educated in more inclusive environments with ever more access to general education curriculum, including STEM education (Fleury et al., 2014). As a result of the social and communication difficulties of children with ASD, opportunities such as repetition and predictability provided by coding activities instead of learning with adults or peers cause them to turn to coding practices (Knight et al., 2019). Coding is a complex and abstract process; therefore, teaching and learning can be difficult (Çakır et al., 2021). For children with disabilities, this process can be more complex. It is stated that children with disabilities generally underperform in STEM education compared to their typically developing peers (Basham & Marino, 2013). Especially considering the competencies of children with autism, it seems more difficult to design coding activities. Although there are many applications that can help children with ASD, there is little empirical T © 2023 Global Journals Volume XXIII Issue VIII Version I 61 ( ) Global Journal of Human Social Science - Year 2023 G Author α : Erzincan Binali Yıldırım University, Health Services Vocational School, Child Care and Youth Services, Erzincan, Türkiye. e-mail: faydogdu@erzincan.edu.tr Author σ : Ankara University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Child Development, Anakra, Türkiye. e-mail: gursoy.f@gmail.com