Teaching Word Problem Solving to Students With Autism and Intellectual Disability.

This article focuses on Modified Schema-Based Instruction (MSBI) as an effective, evidence-based strategy for teaching mathematical word problem solving to students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) and intellectual disability (ID). MSBI emphasizes recognizing problem structures (schemas) rather than relying on keyword strategies, which are shown to be ineffective and limited in real-world applicability. The article outlines a practitioner-friendly seven-step approach to implementing MSBI, including engaging students with meaningful, contextualized problems, making materials accessible, sequencing instruction by problem types, promoting metacognition and mathematical discourse, teaching explicit problem-solving routines, embedding self-monitoring and goal setting, and using data to individualize instruction. MSBI incorporates Universal Design for Learning (UDL) principles to address diverse learner needs and supports students in acquiring, generalizing, and applying problem-solving skills beyond the classroom.