The Influence of Computerized Dynamic Assessment on the Learning Potential of Graphical Analogical Reasoning in Children with Autism: Evidence from Eye-Movement Synchronization

Graphical analogical reasoning ability is crucial for the cognitive development of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, there are currently no methods available to enhance its analogical reasoning potential. This study aims to explore whether computerized dynamic assessment (CDA) can tap into the potential of children with ASD in graphical analogical reasoning, and simultaneously analyze the influence of the initial abilities of children with autism on their analogical reasoning potential. A total of 71 children with ASD were selected for the study and randomly divided into two groups: (1) the experimental group, namely the computerized dynamic assessment group; (2) the control group, namely the non-computerized dynamic assessment group. Both groups went through three stages: pretest, intervention, and posttest. The research results (including performance, time taken, and eye-tracking analysis) show that compared with non-DA, CDA enables more children to reach medium and high levels of learning potential score. CDA can effectively improve the figural analogical reasoning ability of autistic children in the short term, enhance their attention to learning materials, and boost their answering efficiency. However, this promotion effect is difficult to sustain in the long term. Autistic children with the same initial ability levels show significant differences in learning potential after computerized dynamic assessment because everyone has personalized characteristics. Among children with different initial ability levels, those with lower initial abilities benefit more significantly from dynamic assessment.