You are here: Home / Vol. 17, issue 1 / Paper 2026-47

Paper 2026-47

ПРИЛОЖЕНИЕ НА ВИРТУАЛНА (VR) И ДОБАВЕНА (AR) РЕАЛНОСТ ПРИ ИДЕНТИФИЦИРАНЕТО И СТИМУЛИРАНЕТО НА МАТЕМАТИЧЕСКИ И ПРОСТРАНСТВЕНИ ИЗЯВЕНИ ДАРБИ ПРИ ДЕЦА ОТ АУТИСТИЧНИЯ СПЕКТЪР

Калоян Иванов Дамянов
Бургаски държавен университет „Проф.д-р Асен Златаров“, Бургас
Софийски университет „Св.Климент Охридски“, София

APPLICATION OF VIRTUAL (VR) AND AUGMENTED (AR) REALITY IN THE IDENTIFICATION AND STIMULATION OF MATHEMATICAL AND SPATIAL GIFTS IN CHILDREN ON THE AUTISM SPECTRUM

Kaloyan Ivanov Damyanov
Burgas State University “Prof. Dr. Asen Zlatarov”, Burgas
Sofia University “St.Kliment Ohridski”, Sofia

* Авторът изказва благодарност към Национална научна програма „Развитие на научните изследвания и иновациите в системата на българското предучилищно и училищно образование“, компонент 3, за финансирането на настоящото изследване.

Abstract: This article examines the potential of virtual (VR) and augmented (AR) reality technologies as tools for identifying and stimulating mathematical and spatial gifts in children on the autism spectrum (ASD). The central problem addressed is the so-called “masking effect” of twice-exceptionality (2e), whereby the sensory and communicative characteristics of autism prevent cognitive potential from being expressed and recognised in traditional assessment situations. The article presents the results of an experimental study with a control group, in which a protocol for dynamic assessment and stimulation in an immersive environment, designed according to Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles, was piloted. The findings demonstrate that the immersive environment significantly increases engagement, reduces sensory overload, and reveals pronounced spatial gifts that remain “invisible” to traditional psychometric instruments. The original scientific contribution of the study is the substantiated “VR/AR as a diagnostic and stimulating lever” model, which integrates immersive technologies into the dual-focus approach for supporting 2e students and provides a methodological basis for profileoriented functional assessment within the Bulgarian inclusive education system.

Keywords: virtual reality, augmented reality, autism spectrum disorder, twice-exceptionality, spatial giftedness

References:

  1. Reis, S. M., Baum, S. M., Burke, E., Twice-exceptional learners: A review of the research and recommendations for identification and programming, Gifted Child Quarterly, 58(3), 2014, p. 217 – 230.
  2. Brody, L. E., Mills, C. J., Gifted children with learning disabilities: A review of the issues, Journal of Learning Disabilities, 30(3), 1997, p. 282 – 296.
  3. Fugate, C. M., Gentry, M., The unseen population: A critical analysis of the identification of twice-exceptional students, Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 39(8), 2021, p. 988 – 1001.
  4. Gubbels, J., Segers, E., Verhoeven, L., Identifying twice-exceptional students: A review of the state of the art, Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 39(8), 2021, p. 967 – 987.
  5. Mottron, L., Dawson, M., Soulières, I., Hubert, B., Burack, J., Enhanced perceptual functioning in autism: An update, and eight principles of autistic perception, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 36(1), 2006, p. 27 – 43.
  6. Baron-Cohen, S., Ashwin, E., Ashwin, C., Tavassoli, T., Chakrabarti, B., Talent in autism: Hyper-systemizing, hyperattention to detail and sensory hypersensitivity, Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B, 364(1522), 2009, p. 1377 – 1383.
  7. Ok, M. W., Rao, K., Digital tools for the inclusive classroom: A systematic review of the literature, Journal of Special Education Technology, 34(4), 2019, p. 221 – 237.
  8. Pfeiffer, S. I., Jarvis, J., Twice-exceptional students: A neurodiversity perspective, Gifted Education International, 38(2), 2022, p. 173 – 185.
  9. Wang, C. W., Neihart, M., Academic self-concept, perceived social support, and socioemotional adjustment of twice-exceptional students, Gifted Child Quarterly, 65(4), 2021, p. 309 – 326.
  10. Foley-Nicpon, M., Assouline, S. G., Colangelo, N., The paradox of twice-exceptionality: Exploring the C-TRM and cognitive/achievement data of 2e students, Journal of Psychoeducational Assessment, 31(2), 2013, p. 117 – 128.
  11. Mihaylova, M. S., Bocheva, N. B., Stefanova, M. D., Genova, B. Z., Totev, T. T., Racheva, K. I., Shtereva, K. A., Staykova, S. N., Visual noise effect on reading in three developmental disorders: ASD, ADHD, and DD, Autism & Developmental Language Impairments, 7, 2022.
  12. Parsons, S., Cobb, S., State-of-the-art of virtual reality technologies for children on the autism spectrum, European Journal of Special Needs Education, 26(3), 2011, p. 355 – 366.
  13. Mesa-Gresa, P., Gil-Gómez, H., Lozano-Quilis, J. A., Gil-Gómez, J. A., Effectiveness of virtual reality for children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder: An evidence-based systematic review, Sensors, 18(8), Article 2486, 2018.
  14. Bradley, R., Newbutt, N., Autism and virtual reality head-mounted displays: A state of the art systematic review, Journal of Enabling Technologies, 12(3), 2018, p. 101 – 113.
  15. Khowaja, K., Banire, B., Al-Thani, D., Sqalli, M. T., Aqle, A., Shah, A., Salim, S. S., Augmented reality for learning of children and adolescents with autism spectrum disorder (ASD): A systematic review, IEEE Access, 8, 2020, p. 78779 – 78807.
  16. Ip, H. H. S., Wong, S. W. L., Chan, D. F. Y., Byrne, J., Li, C., Yuan, V. S. N., Lau, K. S. Y., Wong, J. Y. W., Enhancing the learning of children with autism spectrum disorder through virtual reality enabled training, Computers & Education, 117, 2018, p. 1 – 15.
  17. Timotheou, S., Navas-Bonilla, J., Zain, D., Zou, L., Mhlongo, S., Rueda, M., Batanero, C., Inclusive digital transformation in special education: Challenges and opportunities in the European context, European Journal of Special Needs Education, 38(4), 2023, p. 512 – 529.
  18. Kamalov, F., Santandreu Calonge, D., Gurrib, I., A new era of artificial intelligence in education: Towards a sustainable multifaceted revolution, Sustainability, 15(16), Article 12451, 2023.
  19. Sailer, M., Sailer, M., The effect of gamified teaching on student motivation and learning success in the context of the TPACK framework. In: Human-computer interaction – INTERACT 2021, Springer, 2021, p. 464 – 474.
  20. Zamfirov, M., Saeva, S., School activities in natural science for students with special needs in Bulgaria, Journal of Science Education for Students with Disabilities, 16(1), 2012, p. 23 – 33.
  21. Sofronieva, E., Beleva, C., Georgieva, G., Markov, S., Artificial intelligence, algorithm literacy, locus of control, and English language skills: A study among Bulgarian students in education, Pedagogy, 96(5), 2024.
  22. Damyanov, K., Differentiation of educational content through artificial intelligence systems in inclusive education, International Journal of Education (IJE), 12(3), 2024, p. 13 – 20.
  23. Maghsudi, S., Lan, A. S., Xu, J., Van Der Schaar, M., Personalized education in the artificial intelligence era: What to expect next, IEEE Signal Processing Magazine, 38(3), 2021, p. 37 – 50.
  24. Nguyen, A., Ngo, H. N., Hong, Y., Dang, B., Nguyen, B. T., Ethical principles for artificial intelligence in education, Education and Information Technologies, 28(4), 2022, p. 4221 – 4241.
  25. Ma, X., Jiang, C., On the ethical risks of artificial intelligence applications in education and its avoidance strategies, Journal of Education, Humanities and Social Sciences, 14, 2023, p. 354 – 359

(Endnotes:)

1. Baum, S. M., Owen, S. V., To be gifted & learning disabled: Strategies for helping bright students with LD, ADHD, and more (2nd ed.), Prufrock Press, 2004.
2. CAST, Universal Design for Learning Guidelines version 2.2, CAST, 2018, https://udlguidelines.cast.org
3. Winebrenner, S., Brulles, D., Teaching gifted kids in today’s classroom (3rd ed.), Free Spirit Publishing, 2012.
4. Silverman, L. K., Asynchronous development. In: B. Kerr (Ed.), Encyclopedia of giftedness, creativity, and talent, Sage, 2009, p. 67 – 70.
5. Neihart, M., Identifying and providing services to twice-exceptional children. In: S. I. Pfeiffer (Ed.), Handbook of giftedness in children: Psychoeducational theory, research, and best practices, Springer, 2008, p. 115 – 137.
6. Bulathwela, S., Pérez-Ortiz, M., Holloway, C., Shawe-Taylor, J., Could AI democratise education? Socio-technical imaginaries of an EdTech revolution, arXiv preprint, 2021, https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2112.02034
7. Bulut, O., Beiting-Parrish, M., Casabianca, J. M., Slater, S., Jiao, H., Song, D. et al., The rise of artificial intelligence in educational measurement: Opportunities and ethical challenges, arXiv preprint, 2024, https://doi.org/10.48550/arXiv.2406.18900

READ FULL PAPER