EFFECTIVENESS OF THE LINGOKIDS AI-POWERED EDUCATIONAL INTERVENTION ON ACADEMIC, BEHAVIORAL, AND AI ENGAGEMENT OF STUDENTS WITH AUTISM SPECTRUM DISORDER: A SINGLE-SUBJECT STUDY

Abstract

Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often have persistent challenges with the sustenance of academic and behavioral interest in traditional classroom contexts. Although the applications of artificial intelligence in education are claimed to offer adaptive and personalized learning opportunities, there is limited empirical research on how it affects the engagement levels to increase the school participation of students with ASD. The current study analyzed the effectiveness of the Lingokids AI-based learning intervention in improving the academic engagement, behavioral engagement, and AI engagement in a student with ASD with a single-subject experimental design. An experimental study based on a multiple-baseline across-behaviors study design was carried out on a single subject (a nine-year-old) with a mild case of ASD. Measurements of engagement were collected at the baseline, intervention, and maintenance (38 instructional days). In addition to the constant observation records, a Structured Observation-based Rating Scale for School Participation was conducted to assess the performance of the tasks in the Lingokids application. Academic engagement was measured by the performance on the Alphabet Tracing tasks, and the behavioral interaction was measured through the Calm Down Yoga exercise. AI interaction was measured throughout the interaction with AI-generated prompts and feedback from the participant. Visual analysis, effect-size analysis, inter-rater reliability, fidelity, and pre-posttest with confirmatory factor analysis were incorporated into the data analyses. The results indicated significant positive shifts in academic and behavioral engagement intervention with Lingokids. These findings suggusts that AI-based educational programs such as Lingokids can effectively play a supplementary role in school participation by engaging with students with ASD in motivational ways, with implications for inclusive classroom education and AI-driven educational design.